


The Broken Bond

by aquariuslover



Series: Expectations! [20]
Category: DBSK | Tohoshinki | TVfXQ | TVXQ, Infinite (Band), Star Trek, Super Junior, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Broken Love, Broken Promises, Cruelty, F/M, Goodbyes, M/M, Other, Power of Words
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2019-01-21
Packaged: 2019-09-29 22:02:23
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 24,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17211638
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aquariuslover/pseuds/aquariuslover
Summary: Timeless love is not enough to repair the damage inflicted by the Soul Destroyer. Lieutenant Kim plots to correct the grave mistake he fears he committed.  Commander Cho walks down a path his parents once took. With all hope gone Jimin remembers a beautiful stranger. Bonds are broken, and unabashed cruelty replaces love, while an unlikely triangle starts to take shape.





	1. Soul Destroyed

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to Amy for always reigning me in…when I go WAY over the top with this story.
> 
> Thanks to my lovely betas Tanya and Tahoeturquoise.

_Something was wrong._

_Something was terribly wrong…_

_Something essential to his existence was gone…_

_The bond that was like his lifeblood was gone…_

_He reminded himself only death could break their bond…_

_But…yet, he was alive, and Jaejoong was gone…_

 

“Jaejoong!!!”  Yunho called, panicked, as he awoke.  His eyes flew open as he bolted up in bed and looked around the room frantically.  _“Jaejoong!!!”_

 

Relief slammed into him as he saw the Joong resting beside him on their large and comfortable bed.  They were in their bedroom and Jaejoong was on his side facing away from him, but he was alive… _wonderfully_ alive.  Yunho quickly grabbed hold of his mate, who was warm with life, and rolled him over on his back so he could gaze upon his beloved face.

 

Yunho froze as lifeless eyes stared back at him.

 

 _“What is wrong?”_ Yunho cried out mentally, but the Joong just stared back at him expressionlessly and did not reply telepathically.

“He appears to be almost in a stuporous state.”

 

Yunho let go of Jaejoong, swung his head around and gaped at his grown son standing at his bedside as if the past two years had never happened.

 

“Dr. Cho has not subjected me to the Custos Humanae Vitae at this time, and yet I feel nothing from Jaejoong.  He could be a—”

 

“Changmin!!!”  Yunho cried out, interrupting Changmin’s explanation as he lunged off the bed and engulfed his son in a tight embrace.  “You did come back!”

 

Changmin, who attempted to sound unaffected by the other man’s actions, stated, “Yes, I have obviously returned.”

 

Yunho stood back as tears of joy glided down his cheeks.  He placed a hand on both sides of Changmin’s face.  “Changmin!  I’m so glad!  You are why I could never give up!  There were a million other reasons why I couldn’t, but none as important as you!  I didn’t give up…and you are my reward.  My beautiful, brilliant, grown-up boy!  You would have been fine without me but…but I am so glad I got to live!”

 

Changmin, who had attempted to remain stoic, lost his composure and pulled Yunho in for another embrace.  “No, I would not have been fine.  I could never have been okay if you were gone!”

 

“He’s right, Captain,” Ryeowook confirmed as he entered the bedroom while watching the father and son with deep affection. “He echoes all the crew’s sentiments.  None of us would have been fine if we lost you.”

 

Yunho reluctantly let go of Changmin and focused back on Jaejoong. “Jaejoong is not okay.  I feel like…I feel like I did before we were bonded.”

 

Ryeowook suddenly looked very concerned.  “Are you positive?  You are back to being completely human; whatever changes the imposters imposed on you were destroyed by the soul crusher.”

 

“No, you don’t understand…what I am saying,” Yunho explained as he got back on the bed and gently pulled Jaejoong into his arms.   “I have always been aware of the bond and I don’t feel anything from him…the bond…it’s like it isn’t there.”

 

“I also feel no emotion or thought emanating from him,” Changmin concurred.  “It is as if he is an inanimate object.”

 

“This makes no sense,” Yunho told them.  “He healed me…didn’t he?”

 

“He did…to an extent,” Ryeowook explained.  “Dr. Jin had already saved your life, but Jaejoong finished healing you.”

 

“If he can heal me then he can heal himself.    He is self-healing…this is wrong.”

 

“I know medical scanners cannot be trusted where Joongs are concerned, but all the tests show he is perfectly healthy.”

 

Yunho looked perplexed.  “When did we return to the ship?”

 

“Only a few hours ago,” Changmin responded.  “Once Lieutenant Kim sent me back in time I immediately appeared on Eternity-where I traveled through the Guardian of Time to Jaejoong.  Once I had collected Jaejoong I traveled through the Guardian on that planet to you.  The Guardians were very helpful, but once we arrived on Abus Zar we had to wait for the Expectations to arrive.   Since I arrived on Abus Zar with Jaejoong eight hours have passed.”

 

Yunho looked concerned.  “The ship isn’t moving…and she feels off.”

 

“The ship is fine,” Ryeowook stated with authority.  “You need not worry about the ship.  Commander Yoochun is handling any problems that were incurred while traveling at high warp to save you.  It all worked out wonderfully, so you need to focus on your recovery.”

 

“I am completely fine,” Yunho assured the doctor.

 

“Really?” Dr. Cho asked, full of skepticism.  “You were all but dead not eight hours ago and your bond mate is far from okay.”

 

Yunho looked properly abashed, but also had an inkling feeling the doctor knew more than he was saying.  “Doctor, is there something else you need to tell me?”

 

Ryeowook sat down on the edge of the bed, staring at the motionless Joong and gently explained, “I don’t think it is a physical problem…I think it is a mental problem.  I don’t think Jaejoong wanted to survive.”

 

A surprised Changmin immediately asked, “Why?”

 

“While we were on our way to the Guardian of Time…after he broke his bond with you…it was as if he gave up on living.  I think only his determination to make sure history played out kept him going,” Ryeowook elaborated, looking extremely uncomfortable. 

 

Yunho met Ryeowook’s gaze knowingly and confessed, “You are right…he did want to die.  I could feel it through the bond even from the great distance that separated us.  He was beckoning me to give up too.”

 

Changmin stiffened.  “You were in very critical condition, perhaps he wished to spare you further pain.”

 

“Yes, but no…” Yunho replied.  “He wished to end both our sufferings.”

 

Ryeowook looked up at Changmin and asked, “Do you remember what he said to you at the Guardian of Time…before he sent you back in time?”

 

“Of course, I remember…”  Changmin paused, looking baffled suddenly.  “It feels wrong.  All of it feels wrong.  Like two memories are blurring together…Jaejoong seemed unusually cold in the reality where you were present doctor.”

 

“Cold?” Yunho questioned.  “I ordered Lieutenant Kim to take you back in time, thus altering the timeline, but I still remember that Lieutenant Sooyoung originally took you back in time.  My previous memories have not faded into oblivion.”

 

Ryeowook nodded his head.  “I also recall the original timeline.”

 

Yunho questioned again, “What do you mean Jaejoong was unusually cold?”

 

“He made it very clear he felt nothing for me,” Changmin explained.  “He stated at one time he had felt a great deal for me but severing the bond had put an end to any feelings he had for me.”

 

Ryeowook winced and agreed, “He told me he had killed his child…so Lieutenant Jung could live.”

 

Yunho’s face went deathly pale and he ordered, “I need you two to leave this room, _now_.”

 

Dr. Cho got up off the bed and motioned for Changmin to follow him.

 

The science officer looked hesitant, but he did follow the doctor out of the room.   The door shut behind them leaving the bond mates alone on the bed together.

 

Yunho peered down at Jaejoong. “I know you are listening, so know that I love you…and even if you don’t believe it…you still love Changmin, too.”

 

                                                                **********************

 

Lieutenant Kim exited the conference room where Commander Cho had just held a briefing regarding the current status of the ship; as the executive officer he was to attend all briefings.   He was deep in thought as he considered an ethical dilemma regarding a decision he had made.

 

“Is something bothering you?”

 

Namjoon turned around to find Lieutenant Sooyoung studying him carefully.  He had thought he had kept his expression neutral during the briefing.  “I am somewhat concerned regarding an issue.”

 

“If you require my assistance with alleviating your concerns, you need only ask.”

 

He smiled, because he liked her.  She was both an intelligent and an observant officer.  She was also very easy to work with.  He hoped when Lieutenant Jung resumed his position as the head of the science department that he would be half as agreeable to work with as Lieutenant Sooyoung was.  “Ah, not at this time, but thanks for the offer.  If my concerns remain an issue, then I will most certainly notify you.”

 

She nodded her head.  “I will trust you to do so.”

 

“Once again I must commend you on saving the day on Albus Zar.”

 

“It was a joint effort, I assure you.”

 

“Yes, but that does not diminish your efforts or your determination to save the captain.”

 

“Thank you,” she told him, sincerely.  “I will leave you with your concerns, trusting that you will call on me if they are not… _eased_.”

 

Namjoon smiled as she walked away, only to find himself immediately confronted by Commander Cho.  “And what concerns do you have now, Lieutenant Kim?”

 

“The fate of the Joong on Orden still troubles me.”

 

“It was your decision to leave him behind on Orden,” Commander Cho reminded the executive officer.

 

“And that is what troubles me the most,” Lieutenant Kim acknowledged without hesitation.  “I feel I was mistaken…that I committed a grave error.”

 

“I am aware,” Commander Cho informed him.  “We already discussed this in the briefing.  It was the best decision you could have made for the ship.”

 

Doctor Cho, who was standing by his husband, spoke up, “Lieutenant Kim, it may seem cruel to leave him behind, but although the Joong looked innocent—”  


“And young,” Namjoon interrupted to illuminate the fact that he considered to be the most troublesome.  “Jimin looked very young.”

 

“Joongs are capable of great treachery…which this young Joong already proved highly capable of,” Commander Cho stated firmly.  “You have not been on the ship long, so you have not been subjected to the treacherous ways of the Joong.”

 

“The fear of treachery is a valid concern,” Lieutenant Kim stated in agreement, but quickly added, “But we have one Joong and a half Joong aboard the ship currently that have proven to be trustworthy.”

 

“Lieutenant Jung might be half Joong, but he thinks of himself as a human and he was raised to be human,” Commander Cho pointed out.  “Jaejoong on the other hand is very deceitful…he admits it openly.  Joong see humans as inferior beings and they even embrace a hereditary monarchy system of government on their planet.  Jaejoong is a prince of Joong and he does what he deems best and has no regard for what others think.”  


Ryeowook looked uncomfortable and added, “Joongs are not all bad though; they mostly act to protect their mates and their children.”

 

“It doesn’t matter,” Commander Cho said sharply.  “Starfleet will fully support our decision to leave the Joong to its own means—which are considerable.”

 

Lieutenant Kim nodded his head, but still couldn’t shake the feeling that a great wrong was being committed.  “You are most likely correct…the admirals at Starfleet would not approve of the risk.”

 

“They wouldn’t,” Commander Cho confirmed.  “I have another task for you, Lieutenant Kim.  Hopefully it will distract you from the plight of the Joong.”

 

“And what task do you have planned for me, Sir?”

 

“Since Commander Yoochun refused to attend the briefing…and refused to allow Lieutenant Sunggyu to attend it, I need you to inform the Commander that the ship needs to depart for the Guardian of Time within the hour,” Commander Cho informed the executive officer.

 

“A dangerous task,” Lieutenant Kim replied.  Commander Yoochun’s foul mood regarding the state of his engines was widely known throughout the ship. 

 

“For anyone but you,” Commander Cho told him.   “While he carries out my orders, the two of you can discuss what an incompetent commander you both believe me to be.”

 

“Excellent idea, Sir,” Namjoon replied with a flat expression, before turning and heading for engineering.

 

Commander Cho frowned as he watched Lieutenant Kim walk away.  

 

Ryeowook chuckled and told his husband, “You left yourself wide open for that one.”

 

Kyuhyun continued to frown but this time aimed it at his husband.  “You do know he is after my job?”

 

“And he will probably get it if you don’t stop being so petty.”

 

Kyuhyun snorted.  “I highly doubt that.”

 

A wicked gleam appeared in Ryeowook’s eyes as he asked, “Why; would your parents not allow it?”

 

“I _know_ you didn’t!  As if they would ever step in and break Starfleet’s sacred rules for me!  They would love Lieutenant Kim!” Kyuhyun declared as he grabbed the doctor by the arm and hurried him down the corridor.  “We are going to our quarters immediately…” Kyuhyun paused and added in a lower tone, “You have to be punished.”

 

Ryeowook, who looked excited, added, “Oh, I think I like Lieutenant Kim more everyday…or should I say Commander Kim?”

 

“You need to stop,” Kyuhyun warned, trying to sound menacing but failing since he looked like he was struggling not to laugh.

 

“I mean, he is worried for that poor Joong,” Ryeowook said, continuing to add wood to the fire as they approached the lift.  “Shouldn’t an officer be more worried about doing the right thing…than what Starfleet will think of him?”

 

Once they entered the lift Kyuhyun pushed Ryeowook up against the wall and whispered in his ear, “I’m going to fuck you on all fours.”

 

Ryeowook placed his hand over his husband’s cock, feeling his arousal.  “And how, exactly, is that a punishment?”

 

“Oh, you are going to find out!”

 

                                                      ****************************

 

“I should get up there and sing,” Woohyun, who was sipping on a synthehol whiskey, informed the other people sitting at the table with him.  He was currently watching Ensign Kangin, up on the Ten Forward stage crooning, and he wasn’t impressed.  Shindong was now in charge of Ten Forward and one of the first things he had done was put up a stage so the crew could entertain themselves.

 

Woohyun was sitting at a round table with Ensign Eunhyuk, Ensign Dongwoo and Lieutenant Donghae.  Ten Forward was very busy and very crowded.  The crew were all celebrating the fact that the captain had survived.

 

“No, no you shouldn’t,” Ensign Eunhyuk, who was sitting beside Woohyun, replied.  “You really shouldn’t.”

 

Woohyun turned and glared at the navigator.  “I sing a whole hell of a lot better than you and your comrade do!  Not that I would call what you did earlier singing!”

 

“Hey,” Lieutenant Donghae protested from across the table from Woohyun.  “It isn’t about vocal ability, it is about being entertaining!”

 

Ensign Dongwoo, who was munching on a mouthful of peanuts, held up a beer and proclaimed, “You guys were awesome!”

 

“Yeah, we were!” Ensign Eunhyuk agreed, thankful for the praise.  “We are the kings of entertaining.”

 

Woohyun sneered.  “Everyone that can’t sing always says that!”

 

“Well, we all can’t be Commander Cho,” Ensign Eunhyuk snapped back at the doctor before guzzling down his grape juice.

 

“Oh, he has a lovely voice,” Lieutenant Sooyoung agreed as she sat down between Dr. Nam and Ensign Eunhyuk.  “He was singing to the captain on the planet.  It was so soothing.”

 

“You didn’t act very soothed,” Ensign Eunhyuk told her, side-eyeing her.  “You acted like you wanted to stab someone in the face.”

 

“I was… _stressed_ ,” Lieutenant Sooyoung admitted but then she grinned at the navigator and added, “I was a lot calmer after you saved the day.”

 

Eunhyuk blinked at a loss.  “ _I_ saved the day?”

 

Lieutenant Sooyoung nodded her head.

 

“Good for you!”  Ensign Dongwoo said, commending Ensign Eunhyuk from across the table.

 

“ _He_ saved the day?”  Woohyun asked, not believing his ears.

 

Lieutenant Donghae smiled at his friend and confirmed, “He did…along with others.  We all learned about it in the briefing.”

 

Ensign Eunhyuk looked even more at a loss.  “How did _I_ save the day?”

 

“It was you that reminded me that Lieutenant Jung is not always logical, and it was that crucial point that made us realize the dagger had to be the answer,” Lieutenant Sooyoung explained.  “If it had not been for your invaluable insight the captain would have been lost.”

 

Eunhyuk broke out in a huge grin.  “I did that?”

 

“You did,” Lieutenant Donghae confirmed.  “Good job, bro!”

 

Ensign Minho approached the table with Lieutenant Yuri at his side. “Hey, does anybody… _anybody_ want to go relieve Ensign Kangin from his singing duties?” Minho asked as he sat down between Dr. Nam and Ensign Dongwoo.

 

Woohyun stood up and declared, “I will!”

 

“No,” Eunhyuk and Donghae both protested in unison. 

 

A frustrated Woohyun demanded, “Why not?”

 

“Because you will just sing sad, depressing love songs,” Ensign Eunhyuk informed the doctor.  “This is supposed to be a happy occasion!  We are celebrating the fact that the captain didn’t die!”

 

“Or _Jaejoong_ ,” Donghae added.

 

“I will not sing sad—okay, I totally will sing sad songs,” Woohyun admitted, sinking back down into his chair.  “I don’t understand why nobody from engineering can attend the party.  It isn’t fair!”

 

“Because the engines are in dire need of repair,” Lieutenant Sooyoung replied.  “Commander Yoochun is in the right.  Engineering is the most crucial department on this ship, and nobody knows that better than Lieutenant Sunggyu.”

 

Woohyun rested his chin on the table and pouted.  “Then I am just going to drown myself in my fake whiskey.”

 

“It will be okay,” Ensign Dongwoo assured him.  “He wouldn’t come to the party anyway…he’d be sleeping.”

 

“So true,” Woohyun agreed with a loud sigh.

 

“Lieutenant Sooyoung, is it going to be strange for you?”  Lieutenant Donghae asked, while peering at her curiously.

 

“Will what be strange?” Lieutenant Sooyoung asked, confused by the question.

 

“Having Changmin as your boss,” Ensign Eunhyuk answered for his best friend, knowing exactly what Donghae was hinting at.  “Will it be strange working for him when the whole ship knows you are madly in love with him, while it is pretty obvious he has a thing for your cousin?”

 

Lieutenant Sooyoung glared silently at Ensign Eunhyuk, causing the ensign to squirm in his seat.

 

Lieutenant Donghae let out a nervous laugh and quickly added, “But that is just a rumor.”

 

“A rumor you no doubt spread throughout the ship,” Ensign Minho pointed out.

 

Lieutenant Donghae held up his hands innocently and proclaimed, “I don’t spread rumors!”

 

The entire table stared at him in disbelief. 

 

“What did our esteemed transporter chief Lieutenant Donghae do?” Ensign Kangin asked as he approached the table and noticed the looks Donghae was getting from everyone.  Kangin took an empty seat between Ensign Dongwoo and Lieutenant Donghae and then grabbed a beer.

 

“He said he doesn’t spread rumors,” Lieutenant Yuri, who was sitting between Ensign Eunhyuk and Lieutenant Donghae, helpfully supplied.  “I haven’t been on the ship long but even I know that is a lie.”

 

Lieutenant Donghae blushed and confessed, “I wouldn’t call it spreading rumors…I am promoting communication throughout the ship.”

 

“Wait!”  Dr. Nam ordered as he jumped back up, knocking his chair over in the process.  “Who is singing now?”

 

Ensign Eunhyuk looked at the stage and replied, “I don’t know their names, but they sound pretty good.”

 

“Seriously?” Lieutenant Donghae asked, gawking at Ensign Eunhyuk.  “They have been on the ship for years.”

 

Ensign Eunhyuk shrugged.  “Hey, I am a bridge officer…I know who works on the bridge.”

 

Prince Siwon strolled up to the table, stood behind Lieutenant Sooyoung and answered Dr. Nam’s question, “They are Ensigns Byun and Jongdae.  They have lovely voices; so lovely that I am inspired to dance.  I would be deeply honored if the lovely Lieutenant Sooyoung would do me the honor.”

 

“It would be my pleasure to dance with a _true gentleman_ ,” Lieutenant Sooyoung, who was eager to get away from Ensign Eunhyuk and Lieutenant Donghae, responded as she stood up and allowed the prince to lead her away to the dance floor.  


Lieutenant Donghae turned and looked at Lieutenant Yuri oddly.  “I thought you and the prince were seeing each other?”

 

Lieutenant Yuri shrugged.  “No, he’s too much of a _true_ gentleman for me…I like the nosey and gossipy type.”

 

The transporter chief grinned widely.  “Well, surprisingly…I like the beautiful and strong type.”

 

Lieutenant Yuri winked back at him.  “Do you?”

 

“I do, and I can’t think of two better words to describe you.”

 

Eunhyuk groaned and beat his head against the table while the two lieutenants gazed appreciatively at each other.

 

Woohyun, who was still standing and watching the stage, planted his hands on his hips and shouted out loudly, “Those two little shits are from engineering!  How did they escape from Commander Yoochun!?!”

 

                                                                   ****************

 

“Oh, so I see that the coward sent you to do his dirty work,” Yoochun grumbled, sitting at his desk in his office as he repeatedly read over the engineering efficiency reports.  ~~~~

“Yes, I have been sent to inform you that he plans to leave for the Guardian of Time in one hour’s time,” Lieutenant Kim replied crisply.

 

Yoochun looked up from his desk and studied the young lieutenant.  “You didn’t correct me?”

 

Lieutenant Kim looked at the wall behind Commander Yoochun’s head and replied, “I am sorry, Sir.  I will immediately amend my statement to say…Commander Cho has sent me.”

 

“No, I liked it better before,” Commander Yoochun informed him.  “You can go back and tell that incompetent piece of shit that the ship will move when I say it will move…and not one fucking second sooner than I say.”

 

“But, Sir,” Lieutenant Sunggyu, who had been standing outside the door eavesdropping, said as he slipped into the office, “why deprive yourself of telling Commander Cho the news personally?”

 

Commander Yoochun beamed at Lieutenant Sunggyu, got up from his chair and declared, “This is why you are my favorite!   I will happily relay my own message, and then I will defy Dr. Cho’s ridiculous orders and go check on Yunho.”

 

Lieutenant Kim’s eyes widened in appreciation.  “The good doctor himself said that Captain Yunho was in perfect health…the need for isolation seems… _extreme_.”

 

“Those damn Chos,” Commander Yoochun cursed as he walked around his desk toward the door.  “Dr. Cho is a mother hen that would declare everyone medically unfit for duty if he thought it might prevent them from getting a hangnail.”

 

“I have duly noted that in my reports to Starfleet,” Lieutenant Kim replied honestly.  “Dr. Cho’s history of declaring competent officers medically unfit for duty for excessively long periods of time decreases the ship’s working efficiency.”

 

Yoochun looked approvingly at Namjoon then turned to Sunggyu and ordered, “I want you to run another diagnostic.  I am 99.98 percent sure that we don’t need to change out the dilithium crystals, but I want to be 100% sure.”

 

“Yes…Sir,” Lieutenant Sunggyu replied, trying his best not to whine.

 

“And you, Lieutenant Kim, will stay and help him,” Commander Yoochun ordered.  “Do whatever he tells you.  I am going to give Commander Cho a piece of my mind.”

 

The lieutenants watched as Commander Yoochun stormed out of his office.

 

“Great, another diagnostic,” Lieutenant Sunggyu grumbled as he walked over and plopped his butt down in Commander Yoochun’s chair behind the desk.  “This day will never end.”

 

“I must confess I have not assisted with the hands on running of a diagnostic of engineering since I took command classes at the academy,” Lieutenant Kim begrudgingly admitted.  “It is not something I feel _competent_ doing.”

 

Lieutenant Sunggyu, who was now resting his head on the desk, let out a loud yawn before responding, “Really?  You seem to have an excellent understanding of engineering from what I have witnessed.”

 

“I have ample _understanding_ of engineering and the complex theories used to maintain the warp core,” Lieutenant Kim explained.  “I just lack the experience of actually applying these techniques...I am not always… _graceful._ ”

 

Sunggyu looked up and gazed at the other lieutenant curiously.  “Are you saying you are clumsy?”

 

“Yes, excessively so, _and…_ I tend to break things.  My engineering instructor at the academy may have given me the nickname of… _God of Destruction_.  He frequently reminded me that a good leader knows his limitations…and begged me to never go near a warp core.”

 

Sunggyu frowned and complained, “So, I guess I get to do the work and you get to stay here and read the diagnostic reports.”

 

“I apologize.”

 

“You wouldn’t report me if I took a five-minute nap first, would you?”  Sunggyu asked as he propped his feet up on Commander Yoochun’s desk.

 

“While on duty?”  Lieutenant Kim asked, startled by the question.

 

“Seriously?”  Woohyun demanded as he entered Commander Yoochun’s office, while rolling his eyes at the executive officer.  “He reports everything.  Why would you even ask that of him?”

 

Lieutenant Sunggyu perked up immediately upon the doctor’s arrival and put his feet back on the floor.  “But he likes me.”

 

Woohyun pulled out a hypospray from the medical bag he was carrying and told the exhausted lieutenant, “I know he isn’t your boyfriend, so don’t even try to pull that ridiculous stunt again.  You look exhausted—like I knew you would be.  I’m here to give you a shot of energy.”

 

“Oh, I totally forgot about that little fib,” Sunggyu lied to Woohyun as the doctor walked around the desk and injected him with the hypospray.  “It seems like a lifetime ago.”

 

Namjoon looked genuinely confused by their conversation but held his tongue, thinking that perhaps ignorance was bliss in this instance.

 

“And it wasn’t even three days ago,” Woohyun replied.  “Feeling more alert?”

 

Sunggyu, who was suddenly wide awake glared at Woohyun.  “Yes, not even three days since you slept with Ensign Jackson.”

 

Woohyun paled.  “I am _really_ sorry.”

 

Sunggyu just continued to glare at him.

 

Lieutenant Kim cleared his throat and added, “Dr. Nam did offer to face a giant snake on your behalf on Orden.”

 

Woohyun turned around and eyed Lieutenant Kim suspiciously.  “How do you know that?”

 

“I studied all the footage from the shuttle,” Lieutenant Kim explained to them.  “I was quite impressed by the teamwork and camaraderie the away team displayed during such a challenging time.”

 

Sunggyu stopped glaring at Woohyun and swallowed nervously, cleared his throat, and asked, “Umm…when you say everything does that include…when we were discussing the snake possibly getting indigestion…and dying?”

 

Lieutenant Kim stared blankly back at the other lieutenant.  “I don’t recall what you are talking about.”

 

Dr. Nam sat on the desk and looked warily at Lieutenant Kim.  “Why were you really studying the footage of our mission?  Were you checking up on us—on _me_ to see if I behaved like a _real_ Starfleet doctor?”

 

“I was concerned for the Joong.”

 

“Poor Jimin!” Woohyun immediately declared, suspicions gone as his expression turned sad.  “I feel so bad for leaving that kid on the planet.  I don’t think he meant us any harm.  I told Commander Cho we should go back for him, but he has his foot up his ass and insists the kid will be fine.”

 

Lieutenant Sunggyu stood, nodded his head, and confessed, “I also find it worrisome, and I also voiced my concerns to Commander Cho.”

 

“I am aware, and I do agree with you,” Lieutenant Kim told the two other men. 

 

Lieutenant Sunggyu eyed the other lieutenant and reminded him, “It was you initially that said he would not be allowed on the ship.”  


Namjoon nodded his head regretfully and admitted, “It was, but after reviewing the shuttle footage and reading your reports I am now regretting that decision.”

 

“Well, I would have gotten him off the planet anyway,” Lieutenant Sunggyu admitted.  “If he would have been willing to go.”

 

Dr. Nam smiled at Lieutenant Sunggyu appreciatively.  “And that is why I love you.”

 

Sunggyu rolled his eyes at the doctor.

 

“Really?” Lieutenant Kim questioned, intrigued.  “Other than the recording of our conversation while you were in the pyramid nothing else was recorded.  How did the Joong act once his secret was discovered?”

 

“Guilty,” Lieutenant Sunggyu replied.  “He was sobbing and just heartbroken about all the lives that were lost.  He blamed himself…it was like he was having an emotional breakdown.  It was bad.  I was prepared to help him escape the planet, but the kid wanted to make sure he put the shield back up.  He even threatened to bond with Ensign Jungkook if I didn’t leave.”

 

Namjoon’s eyes widened.  “That was not in your report.”

 

“No,” Lieutenant Sunggyu answered as he headed out of the office.  “I didn’t think he meant it…and I didn’t want it to be used against him.  He just wanted us to leave.  I have lots of work to do, so I better get started.”

 

“He did like JK though,” Woohyun added after Sunggyu left the office.  “Liked him _a lot_.”

 

“Do you think he would have bonded with him against the ensign’s wishes?”

 

Woohyun shook his head, “No, because he could have had him at any time.  We were all at Jimin’s mercy, but luckily for us he had an abundance of it.” 

 

 

                                                         **************************

 

 

There was a knock on the door.

 

Changmin was up immediately to answer it.

 

“Seriously, did I just have to knock on the door of a starship?”  Commander Yoochun groused as he entered the captain’s quarters.

 

“It is Doctor Cho’s doing,” Changmin explained to the engineer. “He insisted that we be left alone.”

 

Yoochun, who was studying Changmin, snarled his dislike.  “I am so fucking sick of the Chos.  How did those two incompetent pansies get control of the ship?”

 

Changmin tilted his head in light confusion at the ferocity of Commander Yoochun’s words.  Changmin had known Yoochun for many years and was aware of his disdain for people in general, but he never felt such aversion aimed at the Chos before.

 

Commander Yoochun waved off Changmin’s inquisitiveness and warned, “Don’t ask.  Let’s just say it started with a monkey…well, a monkey-bird person.”

 

Changmin’s eyes lit up with curiosity.  “I am intrigued.”

 

“No, you are just bored,” Commander Yoochun told the science officer.  “But I must admit I like this grown version of you so much better than the shrieking brat version.  I mean, I thought we were never going to wean you off Jaejoong’s tits.”

 

“Jaejoong does not have tits!” 

 

Yoochun smirked.  “Well, he doesn’t have any now.”

 

A speechless Changmin looked horrified, but luckily for him Yunho called out from the bedroom saving him. “Yoochun, stop torturing Changmin.”

 

Yoochun followed the sound of Yunho’s voice until he was in the master bedroom, where he found Yunho in bed, leaning against the headboard and holding Jaejoong in his arms.  “Dude, you are so lucky you got to live!  I am going to have so much fun teasing your crybaby son for the next decade… _decades_ , and now you get to watch!”

 

Changmin protested adamantly, “I was not a crybaby!”

 

Yunho and Yoochun just turned and looked at the taller man and smiled at him.

 

“Was I?”  Changmin asked apprehensively.

 

Yunho, who was running a hand through Jaejoong’s hair, explained, “Only for the first year of your life, and then only if Jaejoong was out of your sight…or if anyone else held you…or if you thought they wanted to touch you.”

 

“You were a momma Joong’s baby boy,” Yoochun said tormenting the science officer.  “But once Yunho and I stole you away from Jaejoong’s clutches and fed you—then you started to like Yunho.  I mean, breast milk couldn’t compete with your Grandma’s banana pudding.”

 

Changmin looked disturbed and then he looked perplexed.  “Grandma’s banana pudding?”

 

“I brought it back from Earth for you,” Yoochun explained.  “So basically, you owe all your success in life to me!  If not for me, you would still be clinging to Jaejoong’s tits.”

 

“Earth?” Changmin asked stunned, ignoring Yoochun’s other words.  “We returned to Earth?”

 

Yoochun turned his focus on Yunho, who looked shamefaced.  “Have you not explained anything to him?”

 

“No,” Yunho admitted still running a hand through Jaejoong’s hair anxiously.  “I have been busy trying to get Jaejoong to respond me…not being able to feel the bond has me preoccupied.”

 

“And Doctor Cho has locked me out of the computer system,” Changmin stated coolly.  “He says I shouldn’t worry about anything at this current time.”

 

Yoochun gave Changmin a knowing look.  “I am pretty damn sure nobody on this ship can keep you out of the computer system…if you wanted in.”

 

“I do want in,” Changmin explained.  “And you are correct I could easily bypass their security systems, but I am not completely sure if it would go entirely undetected.   Lieutenant Sooyoung is a brilliant officer and she may have placed tracking codes in the system that I am not familiar with.  I want access, but I would like for Doctor Cho to think I am playing by his rules, so hopefully he will return me to active duty.”

 

“Sooyoung’s panties get wet just thinking about you,” Commander Yoochun said crudely.  “She’d never rat you out to the good doctor.  Lieutenant Kim is brilliant though, but he does tend to follow the rules.  Although, I don’t think he is enamored with either of the Chos _and_ he is smart enough to know that keeping you in the dark about what has transpired since you have been gone is asinine.”

 

“Which it is,” Changmin responded, choosing to ignore the first part of Commander Yoochun’s statement.

 

“Leave me and your papa alone to talk, and I will let you use my security clearance.”

 

A suddenly bright eyed and eager Changmin quickly fled the room before Commander Yoochun could change his mind or add more conditions to the agreement.

 

Yoochun couldn’t help but smile at how excited Changmin was, but when he turned around, he quickly noticed Yunho was glaring at him.  “What did I do?”

 

“Do you want a list?”

 

“Keeping Changmin in the dark is stupid,” Yoochun protested.  “Keeping him from returning to duty is also stupid.”

 

“I agree with both those points,” Yunho said while looking down at Jaejoong.  “However, I do not want you speaking so inappropriately about members of my crew.  Lieutenant Sooyoung is an outstanding officer and she deserves more respect.”

 

“True,” Yoochun agreed.  “I mostly did it to see if Jaejoong would stir from his stupor to call me a pig.”

 

Yunho sighed. “Which he didn’t.”

 

Yoochun walked closer to the bed, sat down on the edge of it and asked, “Do you think the bond is really broken?”

 

“The one with Changmin is gone.”

 

“No, I mean the one you two share…”  Yoochun explained. 

 

“No….”

 

“So, you do sense him?”

 

Yunho looked away from his friend, unable to meet his gaze.  “I don’t sense anything from him.”

 

“Then there is a possibility it is broken,” Yoochun pointed out carefully. 

 

“I would be dead.”

 

Yoochun shook his head.  “I don’t think so…because you have proven repeatedly that Earthlings are different from the humans in this galaxy when it comes to the Joongs.  A human from this galaxy would be dead, but would you really die?”

 

Yunho looked back at his friend and insisted, “He healed me…if we weren’t bonded, he couldn’t have healed me.”

 

Yoochun pointed to Jaejoong and asked, “Then why is he like this?”

 

“He’s broken,” Yunho explained as tears filled his eyes.  “He’s broken…and I can’t reach him to help him.  I call out to him telepathically and I get nothing in return.  Healing me is like some involuntarily action of his…he doesn’t have to be aware for it to work.”

 

Yoochun darted his eyes away from his tearful friend.  “So, the bond still exists…but…but what?”

 

“Don’t you see?  I was the one in the soul destroyer, but it was his soul that was destroyed!”  Yunho told Yoochun, not bothering to wipe away his tears.  “It’s like he switched places…or souls with me.  My soul is intact and his is gone.”

 

Yoochun looked back at Yunho alarmed.  “What do you need from me?”

 

Yunho sighed and told Yoochun, “You are the best friend a man could ever ask for.”

 

“Stop,” Yoochun warned.  “I have already shed enough tears over you for _this_ lifetime, so no more of that sensitive bullshit.  You are the captain.  You must have a plan.  Tell me what the plan is.”  


Yunho wiped his tears away and collected himself as best he could.  “I need to take him back to his home world.  I think only the Joong can help him now.”

 

“So, we need to go back to the Guardian of Time.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Commander Yoochun hit his combadge.  “Commander Cho, the engines are back in working order.  We can leave immediately for the Guardian of Time.


	2. Torture

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks Amy as always! Thanks Tanya for the beta!!!

Seconds turned into minutes…

 

And minutes turned into an hour…

 

His gaze remained locked on the canvas.

 

The artwork was of an unfinished landscape…the artist had just begun.

 

In the upper left corner of the canvas there was a beautifully drawn sun with all the perfection and warmth of a real one. 

 

“What are you doing in here?”

 

Lieutenant Kim, who was in Ensign Jungkook’s room, did not respond to the ensign’s protective older brother, who was questioning him.

 

“How did you get in here?” The doctor demanded not bothering to hide his irritation at the other man’s presence.

 

“One of my duties as executive officer is that of a quartermaster.”

 

“So, you can just go into any quarters you want?”  Dr. Jin asked in an accusing tone, remaining outside of the room.  “Even if you are unwanted?”

 

“I highly doubt Jungkook would have a problem with me being here.”

 

The doctor scoffed.  “Of course not!  Jungkook never has a problem with anything you do.  He would follow you to the end of the universe—quite literally!”

 

“I came to speak with Jungkook,” Namjoon explained as he looked up and gazed at the other man.  “But strangely he was not here.”

 

“What is strange about it?  He was called back to the bridge.”

 

“It is _strange_ that Commander Yoochun gave into Commander Cho’s request to return to the Guardian of Time so easily.”

 

“You need to leave,” Jin told him.  “I am tired, and I have had a hell of day.  I don’t have time to play your psychological mind games.”

 

“I am not going to play games,” Namjoon told the doctor.  “Even though I came here to talk to Jungkook…it is not him I truly seek.”

 

“Leave.”

 

Namjoon ignored the request and explained, “I wanted to confide in you, and most of all I want your advice concerning a certain dilemma of mine.”

 

Jin leaned against the doorway and looked skeptical.  “You never need my advice, and you always know the answers to your own dilemmas.  You just like to hear yourself talk.”

 

Namjoon grinned, amused by the other man’s crankiness.  “That isn’t always true.”

 

“Mostly.”

 

Namjoon pointed to the canvas. “Perhaps, but this solved my dilemma.”

 

Jin stared at the easel that held the canvas.  “A blank canvas solved your dilemma?”

 

Namjoon held out his hand for Jin.  “It isn’t blank.”

 

Jin looked completely taken aback by the other man’s words as he entered the room, carefully avoiding Namjoon’s hand. “Oh, God!” 

 

“He must have been working on it before he was called back to the bridge,” Namjoon whispered. “The paint is still wet.”

 

Jin trembled and his voice broke, “It’s beautiful…so beautiful…but why now…after all these years?  I ask him every day to draw…I always keep an easel out, hoping someday he will find his muse.  Why _now_?”

 

“It is unfinished, but I can easily make out a pasture…and hay bales…”

 

“Hay bales?”  Jin questioned as he turned to look at the other man.

 

Namjoon smiled back at him.  “Yes, hay bales…the reports say Jungkook was in a pasture with hay bales.”

 

“On Orden?”

 

“Yes, and with the Joong,” Namjoon added softly.

 

Jin looked back at the canvas, while reaching out for the other man’s hand and squeezing it.  “You think the Joong healed him?”

 

“No, I think he inspired him,” Namjoon replied with twinkling eyes. 

 

“Maybe,” Jin agreed.  “Jungkook cannot know we have seen this…he can’t know.  He might stop again.”

 

Namjoon nodded his head in understanding.

 

Jin looked back at Namjoon curiously.  “What was your dilemma?”

 

“I was sent to this ship because my brain is impervious to the Joong…because Starfleet wanted to make sure this ship would never be at the mercy of any Joong.  When I ordered that the Joong on Orden could not return to the ship with the away team…I was following orders.”

 

“But it wasn’t the _right_ thing to do.”

 

“ _No_ , and the more I think about it the more I regret my decision, because I desperately want to save the Joong on Orden.”

 

“Dr. Nam also wanted to save him, but he stated that Commander Cho had vetoed the idea.”

 

“Commander Cho rightfully did so,” Namjoon admitted.  “Starfleet would agree with his decision…and in all truth I should agree with it too, but I can’t shake the feeling that I committed a terrible wrong.”

 

Jin stared back at the canvas.  “What can you do?”

 

“I have to burden the already burdened…I have to make the issue known to someone who does what is right…not what Starfleet expects of him.”

 

 

                                                  **************************

 

 

Changmin was worried.

 

Commander Yoochun had given him the means to research everything that had happened while he had been away, but his mind kept drifting back to his parents. 

 

His empathic powers made it possible for him to feel Yunho’s anguish, and even though it did not impair him in anyway, it worried him.  What was more worrisome to Changmin was that he felt nothing from Jaejoong.  He reminded himself that the Joong was very powerful and capable of closing himself off to both Changmin and Yunho if he wanted to.

 

Two memories did battle in Changmin’s head…one where Jaejoong had been full of love for him and the other where Jaejoong just seemed…empty…dead inside.  Why had the timelines played out so differently, he asked himself?

 

A knock on the door disturbed Changmin from his inner thoughts.   He immediately went to the door and answered it.  On the other side of the door he found a familiar face from his distant past.  The man who had taken him back in time to his grandparents and a child Yunho.

 

“Lieutenant Kim,” Changmin said, greeting the man he had last seen a lifetime ago, but who played a crucial role in the memories he found himself dwelling on.

 

“Lieutenant Jung,” the other man replied as he entered the room.  “I do not have time for trivial greetings, so I shall cut directly to the point.”

 

Changmin’s eyes widened in appreciation.  “I prefer conversations that are direct and empty of meaningless niceties.”

 

“Would I be incorrect if I were to assume the ship is proceeding towards the Guardian of Time at your father’s request?”

 

“No,” Changmin answered honestly.  “Jaejoong is not well and my father wishes to take him to the planet Joong in hopes of aiding him in his recovery.”

 

Namjoon folded his hands behind his back.   “I am sorry to hear that, but it is the fate of another Joong that brings me here.”

 

“And what Joong would that be?”

 

“His name is Jimin.”

 

“I do not recall ever hearing that name before.”

 

“What do you know of the planet Orden?”

 

“I did not know there was a planet called Orden,” Changmin informed the other lieutenant.  His research into what had occurred on the ship while he was gone had only begun. 

 

“Prior to your return we were in desperate search for a Guardian of Time,” Lieutenant Kim explained.  “We did wide span searches throughout space for any key words associated with the Guardians…time travel, ancient monuments, and Joongs.  While doing so we became aware of the planet Orden that was rumored to have a Joong on it…it was being overrun with hunters.  We immediately—”

 

“—Although, I am sure your explanation will be informative and directly to the point,” Changmin stated, interrupting the man.  “I do have access to the reports and I can read 30,000 words a minute with total comprehension and recall.”

 

A very impressed Namjoon replied quickly, “Then please read the reports.”

 

Changmin pulled up the reports and quickly started reading them, when he was done, he stared at Lieutenant Kim and pointed out, “It was your decision to leave the Joong behind initially.”

 

“It was,” Lieutenant Kim confessed.  “I was following directives that Starfleet had given me, but I have come to believe I was in error.”

 

“Some of the greatest wrongs in history were committed by good men following orders,” Yunho, who had been quietly listening in on their conversation, stated as he entered the living room and walked over to Changmin to read the reports for himself.

 

Changmin, whose gaze was still locked on the other lieutenant, asked, “Did you come here hoping Yunho would involve himself in our conversation?”

 

“Yes,” Lieutenant Kim answered frankly.

 

Yunho, who had finished reading the reports, looked disapprovingly at Lieutenant Kim.  “You voiced your concerns to Commander Cho and he did not share them, so then you came here to undermine his authority.”

 

“I came here to save a life,” Lieutenant Kim informed the Captain, unabashed.  “A life I put in danger.  I understand why Commander Cho has not acted, but that understanding will not make it easier for me to sleep at night.”

 

“Yunho and I have both been medically removed from duty,” Changmin pointed out, while studying the other lieutenant carefully.

 

“Dr. Cho is in his quarters,” Lieutenant Kim explained.  “Dr. Nam and Dr. Jin are both in sickbay currently…and both would evaluate your physical and mental conditions objectively and not emotionally.”

 

Changmin looked impressed.  “Ah, brilliant.”

 

“Let’s go,” Yunho stated as he headed out of his quarters, having already decided that the young Joong would not be left on Orden to suffer an awful fate.   The two lieutenants immediately followed behind him.  “I need to get back here as soon as possible.  I don’t like leaving Jaejoong.”

 

“I highly doubt he will notice that you are not there,” Changmin pointed out, unhelpfully.

 

“Changmin that is not the point,” Yunho said, scolding his son.  “I need to be with him…this is a very difficult time for him.  He needs me.”

 

“I am very sorry, Sir,” Lieutenant Kim told Yunho, apologizing.  “Hopefully the examinations will be brief, and you can return to your quarters.”

 

“They don’t take long,” Yunho stated, having had the exams more times than he wished to recall.  “And I _also_ would have difficulty sleeping if the young Joong that helped us died due to our inaction.”

  
Changmin immediately corrected Yunho, “It is highly unlikely they would kill a young unbonded Joong.  “They are worth a fortune in this galaxy.  They will most likely torture it until it is willing to bond with anyone just to stop it’s suffering.”

 

Namjoon paled.  “That’s awful.”

 

“Being that I am half Joong…I am in complete agreement,” Changmin confessed.  “I would not be surprised if many Joong would prefer death over being forcibly bonded to a monstrous person.”

 

Yunho frowned as they approached sickbay, “Well, that isn’t ever going to happen to you as long as I am breathing, and it isn’t going to happen to the Joong on Orden if I can help it.”

 

“Hello doctors,” Lieutenant Kim called out to Dr. Jin and Dr. Nam as he entered sickbay with the captain and Changmin.  Dr. Jin had already spoken with Dr. Nam and had made him aware of the circumstances.

 

Dr. Nam smacked his lips and looked at Changmin appreciatively and whistled.  “You grew up good, boy!”

 

Dr. Jin shot Dr. Nam a look of abhorrence.  “We used to babysit him.”

 

Woohyun grunted, strolled up to Changmin, and squeezed one of his biceps.  “As if Jaejoong ever deemed me worthy of babysitting the prince, that was your job.”

 

Changmin stared disapprovingly at Dr. Nam and reminded him, “Dr. Nam, we have met before.”

 

Woohyun leered at Changmin suggestively.  “The last time we met you were a naughty toddler and you called me a whore.”

 

“He did?”  Yunho asked slightly alarmed.

 

“Don’t worry, Captain,” Dr. Nam told Yunho, while ogling Changmin up and down.  “I forgive him, since he grew up so nicely…and so tall.”

 

Changmin frowned.  “My adult self met you, Doctor Nam.”

 

Woohyun winked at him.  “I think I’d remember that, handsome.”

 

“Apparently not,” Changmin stated, slightly flustered.  “We met at a briefing before I was conceived.”

 

Dr. Nam’s face lit up.  “Yes! You are right!”

 

An unamused Changmin informed the doctor, “I usually am.”

 

“Well, we can’t all be tall, smart, gorgeous, and perfect,” Dr. Nam told the science officer as he took him by the arm and pulled him toward an exam room.  “I am going to do your evaluation…in private.  I am so embarrassed that I forgot our first encounter when the memory is crystal clear now.  You were wearing that gaudy necklace, and I couldn’t help but think he’s one of my kind…he’s a man’s man…if you get my drift.”

 

Yunho stared after them in bafflement.  “Is Dr. Nam being serious?”

 

“No,” Dr. Jin replied, shaking his head.  “Dr. Nam is testing him, and he will continue to do so in even more supreme ways.  Changmin released a powerful empathic wave when Jaejoong broke their bond and it resulted in several floors of the ship having to be evacuated.  We have to make sure he has full control of his emotions.”

 

“Dr. Nam is quite the actor,” Lieutenant Kim said full of admiration.  “He had me fooled.”

 

Yunho, who looked heartbroken at the mention of the empathic wave, turned to Dr. Jin and ordered, “Let’s get this over with.  I need to get back to my mate.”

 

“Of course,” Dr. Jin replied.  “If you will follow me.”

 

 

                                                               *************************

 

Ryeowook woke from a wonderfully blissful sleep.   He grinned remembering the great sex he had prior to falling asleep.  He stretched out leisurely in bed and then immediately winced and yelled out, “Fuck!”

 

Kyuhyun, who had been in the living room of their quarters, entered their bedroom, leaned against the doorframe and tossed the doctor his medkit. “Again?  Are you sure you are up to it?”

 

“Fuck you!” Ryeowook complained as pain shot up his spine as he grabbed his medkit.  “I can barely move.”

 

“I don’t remember you complaining at the time.”

 

Ryeowook, who was already busy healing himself, snapped, “I complained!”

 

Kyuhyun smirked.  “Complaining that I needed to go harder, doesn’t count.”

 

“You are such an asshole,” Ryeowook said without any real bite as he struggled to keep from laughing as he finished healing himself.  “Such an asshole.”

 

“But you love me anyways.”

 

“Only God knows why.”

 

Kyuhyun sat down on the end of bed and looked at his husband earnestly and asked, “I need for you to pretend for a moment that you don’t love me unconditionally.”

 

Ryeowook smiled at him.  “You should have asked me before handing me the medkit…it would have been really easy.”

 

Kyuhyun shrugged and smiled back at the doctor.  “I can’t have you hurting…unless you want to hurt… _really good_.”

 

“Shut up,” Ryeowook teased.  “I am pretending I don’t love you, so ask away.”

 

“Do you think I was too…too severe in my decision to not return to Orden?” 

 

Ryeowook looked perplexed.  “You said you were following orders…I know Starfleet doesn’t want Joongs running this ship.”

 

“Yes,” Kyuhyun agreed, but added, “I couldn’t shake how easily Lieutenant Kim admitted wrong doing…because you recently told me that admitting when you are wrong is a sign of a good commander.”

 

“You are a wonderful commander!”  Ryeowook insisted defensively, forgetting he was supposed to be acting like he didn’t love Kyuhyun with all his heart.  “Much better than Lieutenant Kim will ever be.  What does he know of Joongs and their manipulations?”

 

“He was put here to help control them…because he _can’t be_ manipulated by them,” Kyuhyun reminded his husband.  “I read over the reports again…and I am rethinking my decision.”

 

“Why?”  Ryeowook asked, pulling Kyuhyun closer to him.  “You were just following orders.”

 

“I know, and the last thing I want to do is piss off Starfleet, but something is not sitting right with me,” Kyuhyun admitted.  “I am going to have to weigh out the options carefully, and determine—”

 

“Doctor Cho, please report to Sickbay immediately,” Dr. Jin ordered over the combadge.

 

Ryeowook hit his combadge.  “On my way.”

 

Kyuhyun looked worried.  “That can’t be good.”

 

Ryeowook, who was already up and out of the bedroom called out, “I’ll let you know if it is anything you need to be concerned with.”

 

                                                     *****************************

 

“The last time I checked I was the Chief Medical Officer of this ship!” Ryeowook hissed as he glared at the others sitting around the table in the Sickbay conference room. 

 

Dr. Jin stared down at the table, not bothering to hide his feelings of guilt, while Dr. Nam just shrugged and maintained eye contact with Ryeowook.

 

“Yes, you are still the Chief Medical Officer,” Lieutenant Kim replied, brazenly.  “Since, more qualified doctors have not been allowed through the Guardian of Time.”

 

“Lieutenant Kim, not now,” Yunho warned and then turned to Dr. Cho.  “Nobody is questioning your position as Chief Medical Officer, but I don’t have time to be on medical leave for weeks on end, while you use your own personal standards on gaging one’s mental and physical health, and not the ones approved by the Starfleet and the Federation.”

 

“Captain, I don’t do that!” Dr. Cho protested, while reddening.

 

“You do,” Yunho insisted.  “You do it all the time, and I don’t have time for it.  The evaluations performed by Dr. Jin and Dr. Nam show that Lieutenant Jung and I are medically fit for duty, both mentally and physically.”

 

“Captain, I am sure you are more than fit for command…” Dr. Cho agreed, while turning his head to focus on Changmin.  “But Changmin is entirely a different matter.  He had to wear the Custos Humanae Vitae before he disappeared to keep other’s emotions at bay.  He has not had time to adjust to his Joong abilities.”

 

“Oh, he is good,” Dr. Nam assured Dr. Cho as he winked at Changmin.  “He didn’t threaten to gut me once, and the empath detectors stayed within normal range…for an empath.  He is much more docile than his momma.”

 

Changmin looked scornfully at Dr. Nam and then jerked his head to eye Dr. Cho.  “Seeing that I could tolerate that man’s lewd behavior is proof that I am exceptionally in control of my facilities, but Sickbay needs to re-evaluate its hiring principles.”

 

In response Woohyun blew Changmin a kiss.

 

“But he is an empath, now!”  Dr. Cho insisted.

 

Lieutenant Kim did not bother disguising his contempt.  “If being an empath makes you unfit for duty…than no Vulcans or Betazoids would be members of Starfleet.”

 

Dr. Cho glared at Lieutenant Kim and objected, “That isn’t what I am saying!  They were born empaths!”

 

“And so was I,” Changmin reminded the doctor calmly.

 

A startled Ryeowook looked back at Changmin realizing the truth of his words.  “I know…but you don’t remember being a baby.”

 

“I am sure my adult mind is capable of handling the abilities that I was born with,” Changmin informed the doctor.  “I have gone through extensive training with Jaejoong.”

 

Yunho stood, annoyed by the tiresome and needless discussion, and stated loudly, “Dr. Cho, the evaluations prove that we are fit.  I require you to do your duty.  We have no time to waste.”

 

Ryeowook sighed loudly and then called out, “Computer, Captain Yunho and Lieutenant Jung are medically cleared to return to duty.”

 

The captain immediately hit his combadge and commanded, “Ensign Eunhyuk, change course immediately for Orden.  Once there we will undergo a rescue mission to save the Joong Jimin.”

 

“Yes, Sir,” came Ensign Eunhyuk’s immediate response.

 

Yunho then focused on Lieutenant Kim and ordered, “The rescue mission will consist of you, Lieutenant Sooyoung, and Lieutenant Jung.  I want to know everything that is happening on that planet before we arrive.”

 

“Understood,” a very pleased Lieutenant Kim replied, while also standing.

 

“And you will wear the Custos Humanae Vitae while on the planet,” Yunho told Changmin as he turned to focus on his son.  “You will offer sanctuary to the Joong—but only if he agrees to wear the Custos Humanae Vitae, while on board the ship.  You are a Prince of Joong…remind the young Joong of this.”

 

Changmin arched his eyebrows.  “Are you assuming all Joongs place the same value on royalty as Jaejoong?”

 

“Yes,” Yunho answered.  “He isn’t lying when says he is stronger than other Joong—we have seen ample proof of this.”

 

“True,” Changmin conceded as he also stood.

 

Yunho headed for the door.  “I will be with Jaejoong.   I want to be kept closely apprised of any developments.”

 

“Yes, sir,” Lieutenant Kim and Lieutenant Jung said in unison as they followed him out of the conference room.

 

Woohyun beamed with happiness. “Yes!  We are going to go save the kid!”

 

“That _was_ the purpose behind all of this,” Dr. Jin told the other man, while smiling. 

 

“Fuck yeah!” WooHyun exclaimed.  “That’s what I signed up for when I joined this ship!”

 

Dr. Cho, who looked extremely irritated, snapped, “Dr. Nam, I thought you signed up, so you could stalk Lieutenant Sunggyu till the end of days?”

 

Woohyun shrugged. “Well, that too.”

 

Dr. Cho turned and glared at Dr. Jin.  “Dr. Nam enjoys a good mutiny, but I expected more of you.”

 

“I would not call what we did mutiny,” Dr. Jin told his boss.  “The evaluations were done correctly, following all of the appropriate guidelines.”

 

“Hey, you don’t have to defend what we did to him,” an irritated Woohyun told the younger doctor, defiantly.  “We did the right thing…and if that is mutiny then call me a mutineer!”

 

Dr. Cho rubbed his forehead and tried to push his wounded pride aside.  “It is over now, but in the future please come to me with your concerns.”

 

“I will, but my conscience will always be my ultimate guide,” Woohyun informed Ryeowook.  “I met that kid and I couldn’t leave him to such awful fate.”

 

Dr. Cho nodded his head.  “I’m not saying you were wrong…”

 

“I wasn’t,” Woohyun assured his boss and then quickly changed the topic.  “Did Captain Yunho seem extra hot today?”

 

Dr. Jin tilted his head and considered Woohyun’s question carefully before answering, “Actually he did seem…unusually attractive.”

 

Ryeowook gawked at his two doctors and asked, “Are you two purposely trying to wake Jaejoong up?”

 

 

                                                **********************************

 

 

Yunho entered his quarters and immediately went to the master bedroom.

 

He found it empty.

 

Instinctively he went to the nursery and there is where he found Jaejoong standing alone, facing away from him.  The nursery was empty of any mementoes or furniture…all reminders of the child Changmin had been…were gone.

 

_“What did you do?”_

 

There was no response to Yunho’s telepathic question, so he repeated aloud, “What did you do?”

 

Jaejoong replied aloud in a voice full of bitterness, “I do not require such trite reminders of the child I murdered.”

 

Yunho went to Jaejoong immediately and wrapped his arms around him from behind.  “You must never think like that.  Changmin is alive and perfect…you saved him.”

 

The Joong stiffened in Yunho’s arms.  “Perhaps murdered is too strong a word, I erased my precious, perfect baby, so your _Lieutenant Jung_ could live.”

 

“My Lieutenant Jung?”  Yunho questioned not loosening his hold on Jaejoong.  “He is both of ours.”

 

“I don’t want anything to do with _Lieutenant Jung_ ,” Jaejoong stated bluntly.  “I don’t want _Lieutenant Jung_ in these quarters, I don’t want _Lieutenant Jung_ around me…I don’t want _Lieutenant Jung_ on this ship!”

 

“You don’t mean that…you can’t mean that.”

 

“I do!” Jaejoong shouted.  “I also don’t want to feel you, our bond…and most of all I don’t want to feel your overwhelmingly maddening emotions.”

 

Yunho took a step back and turned Jaejoong around till they were facing each other.  “You are not going to succeed at making me angry. Do you think I don’t understand what you are going through?  The pain you must be feeling.”

 

“You can’t possibly know what I am going _through!_ ”

 

“Maybe not, but I know it hurts…I can’t even imagine how much it hurts,” Yunho told him.  “All I can do is be here with you and for you.   Someday, although, it doesn’t seem possible right now it will hurt less.  I am not going to leave you…we will get through this together.”

 

Jaejoong pushed Yunho away with a burst of power that had the captain stumbling backwards.  “But when I needed you to be with me—you abandoned me!  I wanted to die, but you left me for this awful ship!  You will always pick this piece of metal over me!”

 

Yunho gathered his balance and denied, “That isn’t true!”

 

“It is true!”  Jaejoong screamed at him.  “Occasionally, I think you fool yourself into believing that you love me more than your fucking ship, but it is a lie!  It’s a terrible lie!  A lie you tell yourself, but a lie that always shows itself!  When I needed you to go with me, you stayed behind for a _million reasons_ —when I should have been the only reason that mattered!”

 

“You know about…Heechul?”  Yunho asked, completely taken aback because he hadn’t sensed Jaejoong reading his mind…he hadn’t sensed Jaejoong at all since waking up.  “I haven’t told anybody…I wasn’t even sure if it was real.”

 

Jaejoong sneered.  “I was there!  I was the light you abandoned!”

 

Yunho shook his head.  “I didn’t abandon you…I just didn’t give up!”

 

“I want you to leave me alone!”

 

“I can’t do that.”

 

“Know that my bond with… _Lieutenant Jung_ isn’t the only bond that is broken—ours is!  It is broken beyond repair!”

 

“No!” Yunho stated firmly.  “As long as we live it still exists.  Maybe we are damaged, but our bond is still intact.”

 

Jaejoong glared at Yunho and spat, “My mind will remain closed to you!  I will not heal you willingly ever again!  I will go on living because the laws of Joong prevent me from ending us, but it will never be like it was before!  I wanted to die, and you wouldn’t let me!  It would almost be worth breaking the laws of Joong to end this suffering!”

 

Yunho eyes widened in alarm.  “You…you…no, why would you even think a thought like that?!”

 

“Oh, that thought scares you…does it?  I mean I could so easily take you away from your precious ship, your precious _Lieutenant Jung_ , your precious crew, and all your precious friends.  I could end this ship in minutes…all it would take is for one person from engineering to get it in his head that he should fire a phaser at the matter/antimatter reactor.”

 

Yunho’s face went deathly pale with fear.

 

“But _I_ won’t,” Jaejoong told him in a hateful tone.  “I’m not a monster!  I just want to die!  I don’t want to take anyone else with me!”

 

“You want to take me with _you_!”

 

“We used to be _one_!”

 

Yunho shook his head.  “We are in love…we have been in love for a thousand lifetimes, but we are two different people.  I don’t want to _die_!”

 

Jaejoong cried out, “And, I don’t want to _live_!”

 

Yunho turned around, took a deep breath and controlled his building rage.  He walked over to the wall and sat down feeling unsteady.  Yunho knew Jaejoong had blocked himself off from him, but still Yunho felt as if the other man’s grief was crushing him.  “Breaking the bond with Changmin must have been very traumatic for you.”

 

Jaejoong cried out, “My child is dead!”

 

Yunho winced at the Joongs words and replied calmly, “Changmin is not dead…you are just hurting.”

 

“How observant of you!”

 

“And you must blame me for all the pain and sorrow you are feeling,” Yunho told Jaejoong softly.  “I think you are trying to hurt me because it is easier to lash out at me than cope with the pain.”

 

“Shut up!”

 

“But I still love you, and I always will,” Yunho insisted. “But I never promised to love only you.”

 

Jaejoong’s body trembled. “Do you think I don’t know that?  Who knows that better than I do?”

 

“I think your world is very isolated—at your own doing,” Yunho said gently.  “You hate that I have a million other reasons for living when you just have me and Changmin.”

 

“Had!”  Jaejoong screamed, but tears were pooling in his eyes and his anger slowly gave away to sadness.  “I have no reason for living now!  I don’t even want to see your face!  I want you to leave me alone!”

 

“No, I’m not leaving,” Yunho told him.  “I can stay silent, but I am not leaving your side.”

 

Jaejoong turned away from Yunho and cursed the tears he felt running down his face.  “Oh, you will leave,” Jaejoong said bitterly.  “Your crew will need you and you will leave.”

 

“I am always by your side…no matter where I am.”

 

 

                                                                         *************

 

 

Ensign Eunhyuk kept stealing amused glances at the excited Ensign Jungkook, who looked like he was about to bounce out of his seat.

 

“Jungkook,” Ensign Eunhyuk whispered to the pilot.  “Are you that happy to be returning to Orden?”

 

The young ensign quickly nodded his head.  “I like rescue missions!”

 

“And what about the Joong?”  Ensign Eunhyuk asked, while winking at the young man.  “Are you eager to see him again?”

 

“I am glad we are going to save Jimin,” Ensign Jungkook said earnestly.  “I’d hate for him to be tortured…because he was already so sad.”

 

“Sad?”

 

“Yeah, he felt really bad for what the hunters had done to the planet,” Ensign Jungkook explained.  “I should have known he was a Joong.”

 

“But wasn’t he disguised?” Eunhyuk asked.  “I thought he pretended to have burns on his face.”

 

“He did, but at one point we were talking about Joongs and he…I think he thought it was funny that I had no interest in them.”

 

Eunhyuk looked taken aback.  “How can you not have any interests in a Joong?  I mean even I think it would be great to have a Joong mate.”

 

“But it is all a lie,” Jungkook pointed out.  “You don’t fall in love with a Joong…you just bond and then you instantly love them.”

 

Ensign Eunhyuk frowned and asked, “But why does it matter how you fall as long as you fall?”

 

Jungkook looked confused.  “I just…I feel differently…I wouldn’t like it.  Jimin thought I was strange, too.”

 

The older man reached out and patted Jungkook on the back.  “Hey, we all are weird in our own ways, so don’t sweat it.  I am weird…because I act like a jerk when I first get to know people.”

 

Jungkook gave the older ensign a shy smile.

 

“That’s me saying I am sorry,” Eunhyuk told the younger kid.  “You are not that bad.”

 

“Thanks!”

 

“So, did Jimin look like a boy or a girl?”  Ensign Eunhyuk asked.  “Aren’t they hermaphrodites in their original form.  When the captain first met Jaejoong he thought he was a girl.”

 

“Jimin looked just like a regular boy with burns, except….”  Jungkook paused and blushed.

 

“Except….” Eunhyuk prompted.

 

“There was a moment…just a moment when he looked like the most beautiful person in the world, and then it was gone,” Jungkook explained.  “I thought it was the sunlight in my eyes…and then he must have mind whammied me because after that I thought his burns looked worse.”

 

“Wow,” Ensign Eunhyuk said. 

 

Commander Cho, who had been listening to their conversation, shifted in his seat and resisted the urge to reprimand them for talking so casually.  The ship had cleared the worst part of the ion storms and was quickly approaching the planet Orden.  A little casual talk between the ensigns didn’t hurt anything.  Kyuhyun missed listening to the conversations that Eunhyuk and Junsu used to have on the bridge. The bridge had been too quiet lately.

 

Plus, it wasn’t their fault that Yunho had taken back command of the ship and overrode his orders. Honestly, Kyuhyun wasn’t even that upset about it, even if Ryeowook was fuming.  Kyuhyun had been on the verge of ordering the ship to change course for Orden, but he knew it wouldn’t sit well with Starfleet—Starfleet that was just itching to demote him.  He had felt relief when Yunho had resumed command and his first order had been to change course for Orden.

 

“Commander Cho,” Lieutenant Sooyoung called out from the science station.  “Most of the interference is gone and I am picking up radio signals from the planet… _they_ have him.”

 

Kyuhyun turned around to stare at the lieutenant.  “The Joong hunters have him?”

 

Lieutenant Sooyoung nodded her head.  “Yes, they have captured him.  They are holding an auction to sell him off to the highest bidder.”

 

“But how are they controlling him,” Ensign Eunhyuk asked. “I mean he’s like Jaejoong…he can trick them.”

 

Kyuhyun shuddered.  “Not if they are torturing him.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos are a quick way of saying write more...and I like them.


	3. Beautiful Stranger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks Amy for all her amazing support!!!
> 
> Thanks Tayna for the beta!

He knew why they broke.

 

He knew why the Joong became the prizes of the foul and terrible.

 

With his body shattered and broken…he knew why they broke.  

 

What he didn’t know is how some of them didn’t break…how some endured the torture for years without giving in, because Jimin knew he would give in…he was not strong enough.   His body cried out for the healing sleep that would save him from the pain, but the beasts torturing him would not allow him to heal…they wanted him broken. 

 

His heart cried out for his parents, how he regretted leaving them…leaving the protection of the Joong planet.  The King had forbidden any unbonded Joong from leaving the planet.  The Guardians of Time listened to the members of the Royal House of Joong over all other Joong and had followed the King’s commands. 

 

Jimin had been heartbroken when he had heard the King’s decree, for he had always known his bond mate was not on Joong.   His parents, siblings, and friends had all tried to convince him that this belief since childhood was just a romantic dream.  They warned him of the dangerous and terrible things that awaited an unbonded Joong in the universe.  

 

But Jimin could not shake his conviction and knew he must wait for the King to rescind his order…even if it took decades.   He would wait…wait for the one that he belonged with…belonged to.

 

He didn’t have to wait decades though…he had only waited months when the beautiful stranger, who felt like a close friend appeared.  The beautiful stranger was unlike anyone Jimin had ever encountered.  He was extremely likable, oozed telepathic power, and was distinctively masculine even though he was not bonded. 

 

The beautiful stranger had listened to Jimin’s troubles with a knowing grin and had assured Jimin that he was correct…Jimin’s fate did lie elsewhere.  

 

The beautiful stranger, who refused to give Jimin his name, insisted that Jimin come with him to a Guardian of Time.   Jimin had unsuccessfully attempted to explain to him that the Guardian of Time would not go against the King’s orders.  The likable stranger winked at him and assured him the Guardian of Time would work for him…and it had.

 

Jimin cried out in pain as an electric shock seared through his body, setting his mind on fire, and dimming all his senses.

 

He wished he had followed the King’s rules, and never met the beautiful stranger, but most of all…and most selfishly he wished he had bonded with the boy.  The boy was handsome, genuine, and kind.  The boy would _never_ have hurt him.  Jimin had been drawn to him…but the boy had so many scars.  Scars that were carved out by unimaginable childhood horrors and losses…and, yet the boy remained hopeful.  The boy had already had so many things taken from him, and Jimin couldn’t bring himself to force anything on the boy.   He couldn’t take away the boy’s choice to bond, and the boy would never have agreed to bond with him.  He was much too young to ever willingly commit to forever.

 

The physical pain was relentless and unbearable, but the emotional pain of knowing he may have let his bond mate slip away was even worse.   If he had to do it over again…he would force the boy.  The bond was love and through the bond all would have been forgiven.

 

Poison laced whips cut into his fair skin tearing it to shreds causing him to cry out in pain.  Jimin thought of all the people on the planet, and how they had been taken as slaves, tortured, and killed all because he chose to leave Joong.   This was all his fault…he deserved his fate for being so foolish and naïve.  He deserved this fate that was worse than death.  

 

And then the torture stopped…

 

Jimin had been placed on an elevated stage and surrounded by four large Zusaders, who were primitive creatures that resembled humans but also had boar like characteristics, they continuously tortured him using poison, electric, spears, and whips to keep his mind muddled with pain.  Zusaders were impervious to the telepathic powers of the Joong if they maintained a distance of at least five feet.

 

Once the torture stopped, he heard the fearful gasps of the crowd that were seated below the stage.  The crowd consisted of humans and other species who wanted to possess him or buy him for someone they represented.   Jimin had not even gotten a good look of the building he was in, but he could feel the crowd.   He had only gotten glimpses of the crowd’s terrible minds and lack of consciences, but he knew none of them carried weapons.  There were many safety measures in place in case he took control of their minds.  While four Zusaders surrounded him, countless others patrolled the crowd.

 

There were also other people here too…others whose emotions distracted him.  People that had been taken from their homes…people from the planet that were to be sold into slavery.  The minds of terrified children that had been separated from their parents hurt him worse than any physical torture ever could.

 

Jimin, who was being displayed like highly valued piece of meat, struggled to sit up and to open his swollen and bloody eyes.  He felt the fear of the crowd of buyers and he felt hope begin to stir in the slaves behind him.

 

He managed to open his eyes and immediately noticed his torturers the Zusaders were on the floor of the stage.  He couldn’t tell if they were dead, but they were not moving.   Also, the auctioneer who had been enticing the crowd with promises of all the pleasures that being bonded to a Joong entailed was cowering on the ground full of fear.

 

Three people; two men and a woman flanked him, pointing weapons at the crowd of prospective buyers.   They were in uniforms, one wore red while the other two wore blue…and their minds were closed to him.  He stared at them in confusion.  He could feel the crowd and the slaves…why could he not feel them?

 

The woman in the blue uniform pointed her weapon at the crowd and stated, “These weapons have three settings…they are stun, kill, and evaporate.  We just used stun…what should we try next?”

 

The man in the red uniform looked at the slaves behind him and then down at Jimin.  “After looking at the state of this poor Joong and knowing what they have done to the people on this planet, personally I would be fine with either kill or evaporate.”

 

“I am glad to hear that, Lieutenant Kim,” the woman replied, not bothering to hide her scorn for the crowd of buyers.  “You know how much I loathe slavers since I was bought and sold that time!  I think we should just evaporate the whole lot of them!”

 

“Lieutenant Sooyoung, per Starfleet policy we will first have to ask the indigenous people of this planet if they require our assistance,” the man in the red uniform stated.

 

“Lieutenant Kim, you are always the rule follower,” Lieutenant Sooyoung replied as she turned and looked at the slaves at the back of the stage and asked, “Would you like our assistance in removing the invaders from your planet?”

 

Jimin’s mind was pelted with the emotions of the slaves as they all cried out for help.

 

The woman turned back to the crowd of buyers, grinned, and told them, “Now, on behalf of the people of this planet I can evaporate you.”

 

The crowd jumped backwards in fear and at that same moment the three humans moved in sync with each other as they placed small black boxes on the floor of the stage causing a forcefield to go up surrounding them.  

 

Jimin fought to stay conscious as his body tried to pull him down into the healing sleep.  He watched as the ones in the uniforms lowered their weapons and turned to focus their attention on him. 

 

“Jimin,” the other male in the blue uniform, who to Jimin’s shock was wearing a Custos Humanae Vitae necklace, called out as he knelt in front of him.  Stunned Jimin stared at the tall and very handsome man, whose penetrating brown eyes were fixed on him.  “I am Lieutenant Jung of the Starship Expectations.  I am half human and half Joong, my birth parent is Prince Jaejoong of the Royal House of Joong.  We are here to offer you sanctuary on our ship.”

 

“Yo….you…are wea…ring…Cust…os Human….ae V..itae…”  Jimin mumbled incoherently and fearfully as he struggled to stay awake as his vision blurred.  Jimin’s mind screamed out warnings to him.  No Joong would voluntarily wear the necklace, especially since they could not remove it.  He had heard stories of Joong that were trapped by the necklaces that blocked Joongs telepathic and empathic abilities.

 

“Yes,” Lieutenant Jung responded. “My mind although evolved is not immune to the telepathic and empathic powers of Joongs.  My two comrades are immune to the effects of the Joong entirely.  In the past our ship has come across rogue Joongs and the crew has been subjected to unpleasant repercussions as a result of those encounters.  I am wearing the necklace as a precaution.  Captain Yunho will grant you sanctuary but you must wear the Custos Humanae Vitae while on board the ship.”

 

Before Jimin could respond his eyes unwilling closed, everything seemed to be spinning, and he collapsed back down on the floor of the stage.  He struggled to stay conscious, but his wrecked body demanded it be allowed to heal itself.

 

“Changmin!  You can’t take it off!” the woman cried out in alarm and then Jimin felt himself being lifted up into strong arms and he gasped loudly as he became aware of another’s mind… _a mind like no other_.

 

Jimin found himself submerged in the most organized and intelligent mind he had ever encountered, but there were also feelings…deep feelings.  Flashes of Changmin’s memories played out for him…a child being sent back in time…a treasured brother...a kind woman smiling at her ravenous grandson and his endless appetite…a gentle man that spoke of great space adventures with a twinkle in his eyes…learning the treasured brother was really the father…a desire to know everything the universe had to teach him.  Jimin felt like he was drowning, but before he was lost the incredible mind took control and slowed the imagery of memory that was bombarding the Joong.  Jimin saw a ship filled with flawed but good people, who always strived to be better. He saw Jaejoong the Prince of Joong, he saw another man…a great friend that had sacrificed so much in the name of friendship, and he saw a beautiful and broken girl…and then he saw the hero of Changmin’s story.  At first the treasured brother and then the beloved father…a great and noble man…a man worthy of the Prince of Joong…a man capable of a whole range of human emotions, but never _ever_ malice or cruelty.  A man that followed both his dream and his conscience.  A man that would always protect the weak…even the unworthy…even someone like Jimin.

 

 _“Yes!”_   Jimin’s mind cried out to Changmin.  _“Yes!!!  I will go with you!!!  Save me!!!”_

 

Changmin quickly released the mental connection he had with the Joong, and Jimin immediately lost consciousness as the healing sleep claimed him.  Changmin looked up at Lieutenant Kim, and instructed him, “Put the necklace on him.  I am not sure if my hybrid status would affect whether he could remove it or not.”

 

Lieutenant Kim picked the necklace up off the floor and studied Changmin closely.  “He agreed to the terms?”

 

“Yes,” Lieutenant Jung replied as he stood back up, while still holding the Joong.  “He could no longer speak due to the immense pain.  He could not concentrate on verbal words.”

 

Lieutenant Sooyoung watched as Lieutenant Kim placed the necklace on Jimin, who looked like a broken doll in Changmin’s arms.

 

“You need to return to sickbay with him,” Lieutenant Kim told Changmin.  “If he wakes up again seeing you might calm him…and the captain will not be pleased that you exposed your mind to him.”

 

“No, he will not be,” Lieutenant Sooyoung agreed.  “You will have to be examined also.”

 

Changmin nodded his head in understanding.  “It was unfortunate but the logical choice. It was a two-way road though…the Joong is harmless.”

 

“Or he wants you to think that he is harmless,” Lieutenant Kim reminded Changmin.

 

Changmin frowned and then hit is combadge, while holding the Joong with ease.  “Captain, the Joong has agreed to your terms, and is currently wearing the Custos Humanae Vitae.  I request that he and I be beamed directly to sickbay.”

 

“I will need confirmation from Lieutenant Kim or Lieutenant Sooyoung?”  Yunho commanded over the combadge.

 

“Captain, it is safe to beam the Joong aboard the ship, but there are other slaves here,” Lieutenant Sooyoung informed the captain.  “We have offered the Expectation’s services in ridding this planet of their current trash problem.”

 

“Excellent,” The captain replied, “I will send down a full security detail to assist you.”

 

 

                                                       **************************

 

 

“Put him on the exam bed,” Dr. Jin ordered as soon as Lieutenant Jung appeared in Sickbay with the injured Joong cradled in his arms.

 

Woohyun, who was also present in sickbay, called out in alarm, “He’s covered in blood!”

 

“Doctor Nam, that is due to the extensive torture he has endured,” Lieutenant Changmin stated calmly as he carefully placed Jimin down on the exam bed.

 

“Sterilization field,” Dr. Jin ordered.  They all watched as the sterilization progress started and Jimin’s abused body was immediately cleansed.  Jimin’s ripped and tattered clothing was replaced by the standard gray sickbay gown.

 

“Jimin,” Dr. Nam called out softly and took the young Joong by the hand.  “It’s Dr. Nam and it’s going to be okay.  We got you now…those bastards can’t hurt you anymore.”

 

Dr. Jin shook his head in confusion as he read the monitors.  “The readings all say he is perfectly fine, but it is obvious he had been tortured to the point of death.”

 

Woohyun, who was now running a soothing hand through Jimin’s hair with his free hand, asked, “What can we do?”

 

“Nothing,” Lieutenant Jung replied. “He does not require your assistance at this point.”

 

“How can we do _nothing_?” Woohyun asked aghast.  “Look at him!  How can we possibly not do anything to help him?”

 

“Changmin is correct he doesn’t require our help,” Dr. Cho stated as he approached the exam bed with trepidation as the sight of the Joong filled him with guilt and remorse.  “He is in a healing sleep…and his body will soon repair itself.”

 

Changmin studied Dr. Cho, who looked unusually shaken, and asked, “Dr. Cho, are you alright?”

 

“No,” Dr. Cho responded as he looked down at the battered Joong.  “How can anyone be alright after witnessing this?”

 

“Luckily we were able to save him before he was forced to bond with someone,” Lieutenant Jung stated shifting his gaze from Dr. Cho back to the Joong. 

 

“Why not just say rape?” Dr. Jin demanded, unable to hide his rage.  “Being forced to bond with someone, so they will stop hurting you is _rape_.  The worst kind of rape…because for the Joong it lasts a lifetime with no hope of escape.”

 

“You are correct,” the captain stated as he entered sickbay.  “I think a lot of these rapists think because the Joong is forced to love them once the bond is in place it erases what happened prior to the bonding, but it doesn’t.”

 

“I would like to volunteer to go down to the planet, Captain Yunho” Woohyun stated as he gazed at Jimin’s abused body. “Some fuckers deserve to die.”

 

Lieutenant Jung looked at Dr. Nam taken aback. “You are a most unusual doctor.”

 

Woohyun winked at the tall science officer and told him, “I can save your ass and kick it, too.  I am the full package, and don’t you forget it.”

 

“Lieutenant Jung why was it necessary for you to come to sickbay?” the captain asked his son.  “I didn’t miss that little tidbit.”

 

Changmin straightened his shoulders and stated in his most monotone voice, “The Joong was unable to converse verbally on the planet so I had to remove the necklace, so I could communicate with him telepathically.”

 

Yunho looked both worried and angered by Changmin’s words.  “You let him in your mind?”

 

“It was the logical choice,” Changmin stated, unaffected by his father’s displeasure. 

 

“Really?”  Yunho snapped.  “Does anyone on this ship think I would have allowed the Joong to stay on that planet in the condition he’s in?  There were other options…safer options.”

 

Lieutenant Jung remained obstinate.  “This was the most efficient course of action.   Might I remind you that even Jaejoong has difficulty altering my memories, so I doubt a random Joong on the verge of death could affect me.”

 

Dr. Cho turned away from Jimin, shook his head, and scolded Changmin, “You are unbonded and Jimin is unbonded!  You should not be playing around in his mind and most importantly you should not let him in your mind.  What if your actions started something you are not prepared to finish?”

 

Changmin paled instantly and looked shaken by the accusation.  “I have not started _anything_ with him!”

 

“Are you _sure_?” Dr. Cho questioned, “You do not form bonds in the typical Joong way…you might not know this but Sulli was unconscious the entire time you were in utero.” 

 

“I am not bonded with anyone!” Changmin insisted but looked startled by Dr. Cho’s words regarding his friend. 

 

“You will be examined,” Yunho ordered.  “We can’t be sure of anything.”

 

Dr. Nam walked up to Changmin and linked his arm with the science officer.   “I think you just missed being my patient.”

 

“I assure you that is not the case, Doctor Nam!”  Changmin stated with contempt.  “I was simply concerned for the Joong and acted swiftly to spare it more discomfort.”

 

“Oh,” Woohyun responded in a mischievous voice as he pulled Changmin toward an exam room.  “You were concerned?  I thought it was so romantic how you carried him in here… _bridal style_.”

 

Changmin tried his best to disengage himself from the doctor, while he looked pleadingly at Ryeowook.  “Dr. Cho, I request that you do my examination.”

 

An amused Dr. Cho explained, “I am delegating this to Dr. Nam.”

 

“Did I embarrass you?”  Woohyun teased.  “I was just speaking the truth.  You are so tall, and Jimin is so tiny what an adorable couple you two would make.”

 

Changmin looked at his father and questioned, “Captain, how can you allow such a person to be a doctor on this ship?”

 

“Dr. Nam is a very competent doctor,” Yunho assured his son. 

 

“Don’t worry it won’t take long,” Dr. Nam assured Changmin and then playfully added, “I will get you back to your new love’s bedside quickly as possible!”

 

“Doctor, your behavior is very unprofessional,” Changmin protested, while being dragged away.

 

Yunho watched in amusement, but his face suddenly turned sullen. “Dr. Cho, can I talk with you privately?”

 

Dr. Cho, who was standing at Jimin’s bedside, looked away from the tortured Joong to gaze at the captain, and told him, “Of course, there isn’t anything we can do for him…except wait for him to finish healing himself.”  Dr Cho then turned to Dr. Jin and instructed him, “When he does awaken it will be shocking for him.  I can only compare it in human terms to one of us waking up without the ability to hear or see.  Get Dr. Nam immediately if he awakens…familiar faces from a time before the torture should help ease his mind.”

 

“Yes, Sir,” Dr. Jin replied as Dr. Cho and Captain Yunho walked into the doctor’s office.

 

Dr. Cho took a seat at his desk and offered Yunho a seat across from it, but the captain refused, preferring to pace the office.   “Captain, if you are going to apologize for superseding my authority…don’t,” Dr. Cho told him.  “I had no idea what the Joong was going through…thank God you took back command when you did.”

 

Yunho stopped pacing and informed the doctor, “I have no intention of apologizing for doing the right thing…one’s authority means very little in comparison.”

 

“Of course,” Ryeowook admitted, shuffling the papers on his desk nervously.  “I don’t know what I am saying…I feel like an ass.  In my mind the Joong was perfectly fine and not in any danger.  I didn’t think the situation through completely.  I’m just…I am just so sorry, so terribly sorry that I didn’t speak up on Jimin’s behalf…that I didn’t fight Kyuhyun on his decision to go directly to the Guardian of Time.  It’s just that I know Kyuhyun feels like everyone is against him…and I wanted to be supportive.”

 

Yunho expression softened and he nodded his head, “I understand…I really do, but you cannot allow your feelings for your husband to affect your duty.”

 

“The next time Kyuhyun is in charge of the ship I will relinquish the CMO duties to Dr. Jin,” Dr. Cho told the captain as he looked down at the papers in front of him.  “I don’t think I can be unbiased where he is concerned…and that concerns me.”

 

“It would probably be for the best,” Yunho acknowledged.  “But it isn’t the reason why I asked to speak with you…there is a personal matter that I require your assistance with.”

 

Ryeowook looked up and met Yunho’s gaze and stated simply, “Jaejoong?”

 

Yunho rubbed his forehead.  “He’s awake, but he isn’t close to being okay.”

 

“We knew he wouldn’t be.”

 

“He’s so angry…so terribly angry at me.”

 

“Why?”

 

“For living,” Yunho answered bluntly and started pacing the room again. “You were correct…he wanted to die.  He sees my choosing to live as some great betrayal on my part.”

 

Ryeowook looked truly heartbroken.  “I was afraid of this.”

 

“And what is worse…he doesn’t think of Changmin as his child any longer,” Yunho told the doctor.  “I know that Jaejoong endured something that I can only imagine…something terrible, but every time he says _Lieutenant Jung_ …with such loathing, I want to shout at him.”

 

“You can’t.”

 

“I know, but it is so hard…when you have a child you always want to defend them,” Yunho explained.  “Even if you are defending them to their other parent, especially when that parent refuses to acknowledge them as their child.”

 

“Does Changmin…know?”

 

Yunho shook his head.  “I have instructed Changmin to stay away from Jaejoong.  Changmin has been busy with the rescue mission and his curiosity is at an all-time high.  I know the science department will keep him distracted…but eventually I will have to tell him.”

 

“I think it will be harder on Changmin then he will admit.”

 

“I know it will be,” Yunho agreed, continuing to pace the room.  “Jaejoong was only ever close to Changmin while he was shifting.  And an overly affectionate, shifting Jaejoong is the last Jaejoong that Changmin remembers, so this complete turnabout will be difficult for him no matter how logical he pretends to be.”

 

“I think it is very important that we not take anything Jaejoong says right now seriously,” Ryeowook advised.  “He’s very emotional.  When Jaejoong feels upset he lashes out, and unfortunately he knows the best way to hurt others.”

 

Yunho let out a bitter laugh.  “Yes, he does, and he continues to have me completely blocked.  He says he will never heal me again.”

 

Dr. Cho shook his head.  “He’s being dramatic.  I assure you if you get so much as a paper-cut he would heal you.  He can’t stop himself when it comes to you.”

 

Yunho shook his head.  “I don’t think so…he seemed very cold.”

 

“Captain, he would not let you hurt, much less die.”

 

“Ryeowook, he wants to die,” Yunho told the doctor, his voice rising.  “He says only the laws of Joong keep him from killing himself…and me.  He has all this anger inside of him and it is all aimed at me and Changmin.”

 

Ryeowook winced feeling the truth of Yunho’s words and then his eyes lit up when a thought occurred to him.  “Maybe he is shifting, before he had Changmin anytime he was annoyed with you he feared he was shifting.”

 

“Well, he has been annoyed with me a lot since then and he hasn’t shifted.”

 

“No, but when he did shift before he was very emotional, and you wore the necklace disrupting your bond.  If shifting is tied to one’s emotional wellbeing and to Joong bonds…what would breaking his bond with his baby do to him?” 

 

Yunho paled and he whispered, “I pray you are wrong.”

 

“Why?” Dr. Cho asked truly perplexed.  “It may seem like a primitive cure but let me assure you that time after time…with many different species in the universe it has been proven that the best cure for losing a child is having another one.”

 

“Jaejoong didn’t lose a child!” Yunho protested.  “Changmin is fine!”

 

“You may not like it…but to Jaejoong his child was lost.  He lost his child…the baby he adored and loved…the baby he lived for.  He loves you, but Changmin…Changmin needed him in a way you never could and Jaejoong basked in that need.”

 

“Changmin is not lost!  He still needs Jaejoong just in a different way!” Yunho insisted.  “I realize it is jarring when one is used to someone appearing a certain way and for them to suddenly to be different.  It took time for me to correlate my feelings for my grown Changmin with infant Changmin, but I _did_ …and _never_ did I not love him!”

 

Dr. Cho go up from his desk and warned, “You cannot compare Jaejoong with you… _ever_!  You can’t _ever_ do that!  He might be of the superior species…but your powers of adaption are unequal.  It isn’t fair.”

 

“I moped for a year!”

 

“So, what!” Dr. Cho snapped.  “So, you moped a little bit, but you still loved Jaejoong, you still loved Changmin, and you still commanded a Galaxy Class Starship with ease!”

 

Yunho opened his mouth to say more but closed it quickly when he saw the reproachful look in Ryeowook’s eyes.

 

“You were all but dead yesterday!” Ryeowook reminded the captain, while pointing his finger at him.  “You woke up today, accepted that your son was an adult again, accepted you were no longer an empath, took back command of your ship, organized a rescue mission…and you are probably doing ten other things I am not even aware of.   You do not have permission to compare anybody to you…nobody compares to you—that’s why you are the _captain_.”

 

“I…I understand what you are saying,” Yunho admitted to the doctor.  “I will not compare his behavior with my own…but I still would like for you to check on him.”

 

“I will gladly check on him…he is my friend.”

 

“I have a briefing I must attend regarding the current state of the planet Orden,” Yunho admitted.  “And I also need to make sure Changmin didn’t bond himself to the Joong inadvertently.  Jaejoong will be _alone_ for the next half hour at least…”

 

Ryeowook took the hint.  “I will go to him as quickly as possible, and I will make sure you are not there.”

 

“Thank you,” Yunho told the doctor as he headed out of the office.  “My presence would only aggravate him, sadly.”

 

                                                                          **************

 

“What do you want?”  Commander Yoochun demanded as he met WooHyun, who was coming around the corner in engineering.

 

“I have come to steal Lieutenant Sunggyu away from your evil clutches,” Woohyun informed the testy commander in his engineering domain.

 

Yoochun, who was on his way to ream some ensigns he deemed negligent, shrugged.  “Well, at least you are honest, even if you are delusional.”

 

“Don’t worry I only need him for a few minutes,” Woohyun explained.  “I have to go down to the planet to help heal it’s people.  I just need to make him aware of a few things first.”

 

“He’s up on level five checking the plasma conduits,” Commander Yoochun stated looking indifferent.  “Keep it brief and don’t distract him.”

 

Woohyun nodded his head and was relieved that the chief engineer was too busy to find time to harass him as was his usual habit.  Woohyun groaned because he knew enough about engineering to know the plasma conduits on level five could only be reached by climbing ladders.  He didn’t mind the exercise, but he knew the captain was eager to get the medical team down to the planet to heal the most critically injured of the people, so they could leave for the Guardian of Time.

 

Once Woohyun reached the fifth level, he immediately saw Lieutenant Sunggyu and called out, “Hey, I need to talk to you.”

 

“And I need to focus,” Sunggyu told him not looking away from his work.

 

“I have to go down to the planet to help people,” Dr. Nam told him.  “I want you to check on Jimin.  If he wakes up…he needs to see familiar faces.”

 

Lieutenant Sunggyu stopped working and turned to look at Woohyun.  “Was it bad…the condition he was in?”

 

“It was _really_ bad.”

 

Sunggyu winced.  “I hate to hear that, but did you really need to climb of five levels to tell me that?  We have this thing called a combadge that is very good at relaying messages.”

 

“Smart ass,” Dr. Nam told Lieutenant Sunggyu as he walked closer to him.  “I also wanted to make sure the hypospray had not worn off.”

 

“I am still bright eyed,” Lieutenant Sunggyu told the doctor.  “Although, once I am done working, I want the effects reversed so I can sleep for a day.”

 

“Commander Yoochun would never part with you for a whole day.”

 

“True,” Sunggyu agreed with a frown.  “I never get to sleep in uninterrupted peace.”

 

Woohyun smiled and teased, “I wish we were still roommates because I miss waking you up…you were always such a joy first thing in the morning.”

 

The lieutenant rolled his eyes.  “I do not miss being your roommate.”

 

“Liar,” Dr. Nam told him, while he started backing away.  “I have to go save lives and look strikingly handsome while doing so.”

 

“Good luck with that!”

 

“I always save lives!”

 

“I mean good luck looking _handsome_!”

 

“As if I need any luck to do that…it comes naturally,” Woohyun told Sunggyu, looking amused.  “Don’t forget to check on Jimin!”

 

“I won’t,” Sunggyu promised the departing doctor.

 

 

                                                     ******************************

 

 

Ryeowook entered the captain’s quarters to find it felt strangely eerie and unwelcoming.  

 

With slight hesitation he walked to the room that had been the nursery and found Jaejoong sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall.

 

“What can I do to help?”  Ryeowook asked, not knowing what else to say. He knew no words of his could comfort the Joong, so he just offered to help instead. 

 

“Nothing.”

 

The doctor walked closer the Jaejoong and sat down in front of him.  “I can just sit here with you…if that is okay.”

 

Jaejoong looked sadly at Ryeowook and stated softly, “You are a good friend.”

 

“I try to be,” Ryeowook told him.  “But sometimes I fail you, and I am sorry for that.”

 

“I felt you…your sorrow when you thought I was dying…it meant a lot,” Jaejoong told the doctor.  “Yunho said I’m isolated on this ship….and you agree.”

 

“I do.”

 

“But you are my friend.”

 

“I am.”

 

Jaejoong’s body shook as he confessed to the doctor, “I am not going to be okay…this is going to end so badly.”

 

“It doesn’t have to end badly,” Ryeowook softly told the Joong as tears glided down his cheeks.  “Yunho loves you so much…and he is willing to put the time in needed to fix this, and Chan—"

 

“Don’t say his name!” Jaejoong snapped furiously, as his mood instantly changed. “He is gone!  You were in the room when I killed him…that…that _Lieutenant Jung_ is not my son…he’s nothing to me!   I wish he had stayed lost in time!  He’s dead to me and I wish he really was _dead!”_

 

Ryeowook felt himself recoil at the furiousness of Jaejoong’s words and knew the Joong felt his aversion.  He tried to remain calm as he told his friend, “You don’t mean that…you just need time to heal.”

 

Jaejoong expression was as cold as ice. “Time will not heal me!  Nothing will… _not time_ …not Yunho’s love… _nothing will_ …and most certainly not another child.”

 

“So, you don’t think you will ever shift again?”

 

Jaejoong turned his head and stared at the wall.  “Most Joong unions do not produce any children.”

 

“You have already had a child,” the doctor reminded his friend carefully.  “And didn’t you tell me when a Joong couple proved to be fruitful…they were _very_ fruitful?”

 

“I know that!”  Jaejoong snarled.  “I am not shifting, so take that thought of yours and stuff it.  I don’t need you putting that thought in Yunho’s head either!”

 

The doctor shrugged and smiled at Jaejoong.  “It was just a thought.”

 

“A stupid thought!”

 

“A hopeful thought…”

 

Jaejoong turned his head to face Ryeowook and glared, “Another child will not replace the one…the one I lost… _nothing can!_ ”

 

“He isn’t lost…he’s just different now…”

 

“Isn’t there another Joong on this ship you can go torment?” Jaejoong questioned, while looking murderous.

 

“He’s in a healing sleep.”

 

“It must be terrible for you…to know that if you had just spoken up on his behalf, he would have been spared so much pain,” Jaejoong cruelly told Ryeowook.  “But instead while Jimin was being tortured you were letting your husband fuck you on all fours like a dirty beast.”

 

Ryeowook stood up abruptly, swallowed guiltily, and his voice trembled, “I know…and you know I know…  You also you know how horrible I feel…you are just…I am going to go before things get said that can’t be taken back.”

 

“Please, do go”, Jaejoong called out as Ryeowook headed out of the room.  “Make sure the new Joong keeps the necklace on, so you can fool it into believing that you are the kind hearted, country doctor you pretend to be!  You wouldn’t want him to know that you were more concerned for your husband’s fragile ego than his life.”

 

                                                           ****************************

 

“While the people of Orden are very grateful for our assistance, they plan on putting up the shield as soon as we finish healing the most critically injured of their people,” Lieutenant Kim explained to the other officers sitting at the table in the main conference room off the bridge.  

 

Commander Cho frowned.  “So, they wish to isolate themselves?”

 

“One can’t blame them,” Captain Yunho stated from the head of the table.  “They have been through so much.  Hopefully, once their wounds heal, they will lower the shield and once again continue trading with the other nearby planets.”

 

Lieutenant Jung added, “That would be most advantageous for the other planets in the region considering Orden is by far the richest of the planets in natural resources in this sector.”

 

“Or they could just say screw the rest of the universe,” Commander Yoochun stated drily.  “It wouldn’t be the first time a planet took up the isolationist position…and this planet has a very handy shield to back up its desire to be left alone.”

 

Siwon stated solemnly, “It would be a great loss to the sector, but one could not blame the planet for taking up that extreme position.”

 

The captain turned to Dr. Cho, who had been the last to join the briefing, and asked, “How are the medical teams managing?”

 

“As you know Dr. Jin and Dr. Nam are both on the planet with one nurse apiece. They report the healing process is going swiftly.” Dr. Cho replied.  “They have been beamed to multiple hospitals on the planet and they report they should be finished by 1800hrs.”

 

“Good,” Captain Yunho replied and then asked, “Lieutenant Yuri, are we sure the invaders have all been removed from the planet?”

 

“I believe so, Sir,” Lieutenant Yuri responded.  “Once you broadcasted your message that the Expectations would be seizing any aircraft not of Orden origin…the invaders left rather swiftly.   We have been listening in on the conversations of several invaders and they have not mentioned leaving anyone behind.”

 

“Once the medical teams return to the ship, then we will depart for the Guardian of Time,” Yunho ordered.  “Lieutenant Kim please organize the groups heading back to Earth and also find accommodations for Lieutenant Jung.”

 

“Yes, Sir,” Lieutenant Kim immediately replied.  “And what of the Joong?”

 

“When it awakens it can decide if it wants to stay aboard the ship or depart this area of space through the Guardian of Time,” Yunho stated.  “It will be up to the Joong to decide.  I will not renege on the offer of providing sanctuary on the ship.”

 

Commander Cho turned to Ryeowook and asked, “Do you have an estimate on when it will awaken?”  


“Its external body does appear healed to the naked eye,” Ryeowook replied.  “But one cannot be sure if the internal injuries have healed…the monitors are useless.  Joongs are—”

 

“Captain, there is ship approaching the planet,” Ensign Eunhyuk’s voice called out over the combadge.  “It measures 100 meters in length.”

 

“Ensign Eunhyuk, put the shields up and go to yellow alert,” Yunho ordered as he stood up. “This briefing is over.”

 

Yellow alert lights started flashing throughout the ship alerting the crew to the possible danger while the ship’s computer announced, “Yellow Alert!”

 

Yunho headed to the bridge along with Commander Cho, Lieutenant Jung, Lieutenant Yuri, and Lieutenant Kim.  Commander Yoochun headed to engineering.  Dr. Cho headed back to sickbay, and Siwon waited in the conference room making sure his diplomacy skills would not be required.

 

“It looks like a Klingon Bird of Prey,” Yunho stated as he arrived on the bridge and stared at the screen at the front of the bridge.  “Has it seen us, yet?”

 

“No, Sir,” Ensign Minho stated as Lieutenant Jung replaced him at the science station.  “The planet is blocking us from its view currently.”

 

“It’s the biggest ship we have encountered in this galaxy,” Commander Cho pointed out.  “Although, we are six times its size.”

 

“It is sending a signal directly to the farmhouse on Orden where the shuttle crashed…seeking out Jimin,” Lieutenant Kim, who had gone directly to the communications station, informed them.  “I am not one to speculate, but…”

 

“But one might suspect that this is the old and boring captain that wanted to marry Jimin,” Captain Yunho finished.  “Yes, I also reviewed the shuttle craft’s recordings.”

 

“That is illogical,” Lieutenant Jung pointed out from the science station.  “Joongs do not marry they bond.”

 

“Jimin was pretending not to be a Joong at the time,” the captain pointed out.  “He could not very well say bond, now could he?”

 

“Point taken,” Lieutenant Jung conceded.

 

“Plus, Jaejoong and I are married,” Yunho added, before asking, “What else do we know about this ship?”

 

Changmin, who looked dismayed by the news that his parents had married, added, “The ship is called the Agust D and it is commanded by man named Min Yoongi.  The ship does resemble a Klingon Bird of Prey from a century ago, including its weaponry, but it is not of Klingon origin.”

 

“The Agust D is preparing to launch a shuttle craft to the planet,” Lieutenant Yuri stated from the weapon’s station. 

 

“Ensign Jungkook bring the ship around, so they can see us….and our considerable size advantage,” Yunho ordered.  “I do not want a shuttle launched toward the planet. I want transporter beams locked on the away teams in case we need to beam them away in an instant.”

 

“Yes, Sir,” Lieutenant Yuri replied. 

 

“Open a hailing frequency,” Yunho ordered and immediately the main screen of the bridge displayed what appeared to be a small and very bad-tempered young man.”

 

“And, who the hell are you?”  The small man in the center of the Agust D’s bridge demanded, not looking the least big impressed with the Expectation’s size.  “And what have you done to that planet?”

 

“I am Captain Jung Yunho of the Federation Starship Expectations…and that planet is under my protection.  It seems a Joong got stranded on it and Joong hunters were made aware of the Joong’s location.”

 

The Agust D’s captain paled and weakly asked, “Did they claim it?”

 

“Claim _it_?”  Yunho asked his eyes narrowing.  “Do you mean did they torture the Joong till he was forced to bond with one of them?”

 

The other captain nodded his head eagerly.  “Did they?  Tell me they didn’t…Jimin is a good kid.  He’s a stubborn dreamer, but he doesn’t deserve that fate.”

 

“Jimin is no longer any of your concern,” Yunho informed the other captain.  “He is also under my protection and I will be sending him back to his home world very soon.”  


“You can’t do that!”

 

“And who is going to stop me?”  Yunho crisply asked.  “I am bonded to a Joong and I have half Joong son, and I look very unfavorably on those who inflict their revolting desires on the Joong.  Men like you are why thousands are dead on the planet below us.”

 

“Okay, I think we got off on the wrong foot,” the other captain declared.  “My name is Min Yoongi…and I never forced Jimin to do anything.  I may have grown frustrated with the kid’s repeated refusal to bond with me, but I never wanted him to get hurt.  He should have been fine down there...I left him with good people.  I never wanted this for him. I most certainly never wanted this for the planet.”

 

“Sadly, what you wanted is just a fairy tale and what happened is the horrific reality,” Captain Yunho told the other captain.  “Like I said Jimin is under my protection and I have the means to protect him.  You will leave the orbit of this planet immediately.”

 

Captain Min Yoongi stared back at Yunho and quickly determined it was best to obey the other man’s orders.  “I will do as you say…but tell Jimin I’m sorry.  I am terribly sorry for everything.”

 

Yunho just shook his head and motioned for the connection to be ended with a wave of his hand.  The screen went blank and Yunho headed off the bridge, “Commander Cho you have the bridge.  If he doesn’t leave fire a warning shot and if that doesn’t make him leave than disable his weapons.”

 

“Yes, Sir,” Commander Cho called out as he sat down in the captain’s chair.


	4. A Fleeting Moment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special thanks to Amy for endless support! 
> 
> Thanks to Tanya for the beta!!!!!!

Yunho entered Ryeowook’s office to find the Chief Medical Officer sitting at his desk eating a whole pie.  “I am guessing it didn’t go well?”

 

Ryeowook shook his head as he swallowed down a large mouthful of pumpkin pie.  “No, not at all.”

 

“I was afraid of that,” Yunho said with a sigh as he sat down in a chair.  “Are you okay?”

 

“I might be after I eat this entire pie…or two…or three,” Ryeowook told the captain.  “He’s…in an exceptionally foul mood, and I am not sure if this pumpkin pie can make me feel better. It’s my grandmother’s recipe.  I had it programmed into the food replicators for especially bad days…the secret is adding the whisked egg whites at the exact right moment.  It has amazing recuperative skills when your psyche has been punched.”

 

“Maybe I should have some.”

 

“You will have to make your own, because this one is all mine.  Your mate succeeded in making me feel like a failure at life.”

 

Yunho closed his eyes.  “I thought maybe he would be better with you.”

 

“He was at first,” Ryeowook told the captain.  “At first it was nice…he even thanked me for being his friend…but although he has closed his mind to you, he did not pay me the same courtesy.”

 

“He was nice?” Yunho asked pleasantly surprised.  “What happened to change that?”

 

“I mentioned Changmin…” Ryeowook paused and winced at the memory.  “It was bad…it isn’t like he just doesn’t acknowledge Changmin as his son…it’s like he blames him.  Changmin cannot be allowed near Jaejoong.”

 

Yunho rubbed his face with both of his hands, realizing his talk with Changmin could not be put off any longer.  “Computer where is the current location of Lieutenant Jung?”

 

The computer answered promptly, “Lieutenant Jung is currently located in the Captain’s Quarters.”

 

“Shit!”  Yunho jumped up and rushed out of the room.

 

Dr. Cho pushed his pie away and hit his combadge.  “Kyuhyun, you need to go to Changmin…he’s going to need you.”

 

 

                                                                           **********************

 

 

“Yunho told me not to come here,” Changmin explained as he entered the nursery.  “I chose to disobey him since I believe he did so out of fatherly concern and not as an official order.”

 

Jaejoong stood with his back to Changmin and said nothing.

 

Changmin continued, “I am not fully apprised of what is going on.  As you know my empathic skills are still developing, but I could feel Yunho’s desperation, when he was not actively attempting to block me…and then Ryeowook felt so… _so_ small during the briefing.  When Ryeowook looked at me…I felt pity emanating off him towards me.  I cannot help but feel I am the cause for their discomfort…that I have somehow displeased you.”

 

Jaejoong clenched both of his hands into fists and seethed, “ _Lieutenant Jung_ , I am giving you one chance to leave here unharmed.  Leave here and never seek me out again.”

 

A stunned Changmin repeated, “Unharmed?”

 

“Go!” Jaejoong shouted as he swung around and glared at the science officer.  “I don’t want to see you!  I never want to see you again!”

 

Changmin looked vulnerable and confused.  “Did I do something as a child to anger you that I do not recall?”

 

“No!” Jaejoong cried out, unleashing his emotional pain on Changmin.  “My child was perfect!  Perfection!   Dynamic and full of life!  He was amazingly wonderful…and his soul was a thing of absolute beauty!   You however are not him!  You are the empty shell that remains when a vibrant soul is lost!”

 

Changmin shuddered as he was hit by the power of Jaejoong’s pain, loss, and anger. 

 

“I loathe you!”  Jaejoong screamed, unleashing all of his pain on the half Joong.  “I wish you had never come back!  I wish you were lost to time forever!”

 

“I am s…or…ry…so..rr…rry,” Changmin stuttered as he stumbled backwards and fell onto the floor, unable to shield himself from Jaejoong’s powerful empathic wave that was aimed at him and solely at him. 

 

Changmin had once almost died on the far away planet of Baylor but the pain on that occasion did not compare to what Jaejoong had just flung at him.

 

“I don’t care if you are sorry!  You are nothing more than a walking corpse to me!  I wish you were—” Jaejoong stopped suddenly as Yunho rushed into the room and went immediately to Changmin.  Jaejoong watched silently as Yunho pulled Changmin to his feet and embraced him tightly.

 

“Yunho…I should have listened to you…I should have,” Changmin told his father in a shaky voice as he attempted to collect himself.  “I am sorry.”

 

“There is nothing for you to be sorry for.  I am in the wrong…I should have warned you, but I was hoping…”  Yunho paused to glare at Jaejoong and hissed, “His soul would return.  You see it was I that was in the soul destroyer, but it was Jaejoong’s soul that was destroyed.”

 

Changmin pulled away from Yunho and looked at his father. “A soul destroyer?  That such a device exists seems very unlikely.”

 

Yunho’s heart broke as he saw Changmin revert to his logical, robotic self. 

 

“Captain,” Commander Cho called out cautiously as he entered the quarters.  “Ryeowook told me I should come find Changmin.”

 

“Yes,” Yunho replied, very thankful for Ryeowook’s quick thinking.  “Come take Changmin somewhere…anywhere but here.”

 

Kyuhyun walked into the room and quickly assessed the situation and grabbed Changmin by the arm.  “We have a lot of catching up to do.”

 

“True,” Changmin agreed in a robotic tone.  “There is much I have missed.  I have gone through 32% of the reports filed during my absence but there are many more to review.”

 

Kyuhyun dragged Changmin from the room, while telling him, “No, I mean we need to catch up on friend stuff…not ship stuff.”

 

Yunho locked eyes with Jaejoong and waited till the two other men were gone, moments passed as he slowly gained control of his fury. 

 

Jaejoong said nothing…he just stared back at his disheartened mate.

 

“Does it ease your pain when you inflict pain on others?” Yunho asked as if he was truly curious.  “Does the pain and misery of others…others who you are supposed to love make you feel better?”

 

The Joong collapsed to his knees and cried out, “No, nothing makes me feel better!”

 

Yunho did not move closer.  “Then why are you so vile?”

 

“I don’t know,” Jaejoong admitted.  “I don’t know why…but I won’t take it back.  I don’t want him near me.”

 

“And I don’t…” Yunho paused, bit back what he was going to say, and hit his combadge.  “Lieutenant Kim, I want my quarters shut off to everyone but myself and Jaejoong….no one can enter them except us.  If Jaejoong leaves these quarters I want to be notified.”

 

“Yes, Sir,” Lieutenant Kim immediately replied.

 

Yunho turned away from Jaejoong, forced himself to calm down, and told the Joong, “I know you are in pain…and I want you to feel better…I really do.  I know I can’t place time limits on you…and I know it will take time, but please refrain from hurting anyone else.”

 

“I’ll try,” Jaejoong whispered.  “I will try.”

 

“I am going to go…cool down, and then I will be back.  I am not giving up on us…we will get through this,” Yunho told the Joong as he walked out of the room. 

 

 

                                                     *********************************

 

 

There were no mental voices…

 

There were no emotions but his own…

 

Jimin sat up in bed and yelled out frantically, “Prince Changmin!!!”

 

Dr. Nam immediately entered the room and said in his most soothing voice, “Hey, it’s okay, Jimin.  It’s Dr. Nam and you are safe.  Nobody can hurt you now.”

 

The hysterical Joong leaped off the exam bed with unusual grace and landed on his feet.  “I can’t feel anything!  They could be here!  They could be after me!  I don’t want to go back there!”

 

Woohyun held up his hands in a calming manner.  “You are safe.  Nobody can hurt you here.”

 

“Dr. Nam please take this necklace off me,” Jimin cried out as he ran up to Woohyun and grabbed him by the hands.  “Please take it off!  I changed my mind!  I can’t wear this!  I can’t!”

 

“Hello Jimin,” Dr. Jin said softly as he slowly walked up to the Joong.  “I am Dr. Jin…Jungkook’s brother.”

 

Jimin’s mouth opened wide in surprise at the news.  He let go of Woohyun, rushed toward Dr. Jin, smiled warmly at the older man, and proclaimed, “I love Kookie!”

 

“Kookie,” Dr. Jin repeated and then nodded his head in understanding.  “I love him, too.”

 

“I wish I had bonded with Kookie…is Kookie here?  I need Kookie?  Where is he?”  Jimin rambled as he started walking around sickbay searching for the young ensign.  “Kookie!  Kookie!  Kookie!”

 

Woohyun’s eyes darted toward Jin and he whispered to the other doctor, “Yes, where is _Kookie_?”

 

“He should be on his way,” Dr. Jin told Woohyun, while they both followed the beautiful, but very anxious Joong.  “Jimin, we should stay here so Kook—Ensign Jungkook can find us.”

 

Jimin stopped abruptly and turned back around to face the other two men.  “Yes, Kookie must find me!  So, he can take this necklace off me and we can bond!  Then nobody will ever try to take me again!”

 

Woohyun scratched the back of his head and reminded Jimin, “But you agreed to wear the necklace while you are here on the ship.”

 

“No, no, no,” Jimin shrieked.  “I don’t like it!  I don’t like it at all.  It is terrible!  I told you I changed my mind.  I don’t like it…no, not at all!”

 

“Dr. Cho!”  Dr. Nam called out as he saw the Chief Medical Officer leave his office.  “Is there anything we can give him…to calm him down?”

 

Dr. Cho, who was studying the tearful and desperate looking Joong, told them, “No, he will immediately metabolize anything we give him.”

 

Jimin tilted his head to the side and informed Dr. Nam, “I do not require anything from you, except for you to take this awful thing off of me.”

 

“The captain would be very angry at me if I took that off of you,” Dr. Nam told Jimin.

 

“No,” Jimin told the doctor, while shaking his head in disapproval.  “The captain is wonderful!  He is a treasured person.  He wouldn’t want me to suffer.  He’s very, very nice…he wouldn’t want me to wear this awful thing.  He’s very nice!”

 

Dr. Jin nodded his head.  “The captain is very nice.”

 

“Yes, he is also wonderful and noble!” Jimin proclaimed.  “He saved me.  He is bonded to Prince Jaejoong.  He’s awesome.  I am honored—Kookie!!!”

 

The three doctors watched in amazement as the Joong flung himself at the young ensign that had appeared in Sickbay. 

 

“Kookie!!!  Kookie!!! Please take the Custos Humane Vitae off me!  So, we can bond!  My sweet, wonderful Kookie,” Jimin declared while embracing the shocked ensign.  “I am so sorry I didn’t bond with you on the planet!  I wanted too, but I didn’t want to take your choices away!”

 

“Jin!” An alarmed Jungkook cried out as the Joong proceeded to cover the young ensign’s face with kisses.

 

Dr. Nam and Dr. Jin both shared an exasperated look and then headed toward the ensign, and attempted to pull the ravenous Joong, who had wrapped his arms around the ensign’s neck, off the young man.  Dr. Jin demanded, “Was he like this on the planet?”

 

“Not at all,” Dr. Nam responded as the two doctors succeeded at pulling Jimin off the speechless Jungkook.

 

“It’s the necklace,” Dr. Cho informed them.  “It made Jaejoong crazy for days after wearing it.  They are not used to having their senses so dulled.”

 

“I understand it must be very traumatic,” Dr. Jin told Jimin, scolding him.  “But you cannot go around jumping on people!”

 

“Unless they want you to jump them,” Woohyun said, snickering, unable to hide his amusement at the situation.

 

“Dr. Nam!” both Dr. Jin and Dr. Cho chastised.

 

Jimin’s eyes, whose eyes were still locked on Ensign Jungkook as if he was a tasty treat for a starving man, implored to the ensign, “Please take the necklace off me, Kookie!  Bonding is great fun!  Everybody likes sex once they are bonded and as a Joong I am a natural at it!  You will love being bonded to me!”

 

“I am twenty-one years old!” Ensign Jungkook sputtered, outraged.  “I am not bonding with anyone!  I’m too young!”

 

“You say that now, but once I take control of your mind you won’t think that,” Jimin assured the ensign, while smiling adoringly at him.  “I’ll put an end to those silly notions!”

 

 

                                                                      ***************************

 

 

“It’s okay if you are upset,” Commander Cho told his dearest friend as the science officer sat beside him on the sofa in the second in command’s quarters looking rigid and uncomfortable.

 

“I’m not upset.”

 

“It is also okay to be sad.”

 

“I’m not sad,” Changmin replied stiffly.  “I am unsettled.”

 

“Well, it is okay to be unsettled, too.”

 

Changmin looked down at his hands and acknowledged, “My last memories of Jaejoong are of him being…affectionate…overly affectionate.  I was becoming attached to him…so this behavior is quite unsettling.”

 

“I don’t think you should take to heart what he says,” Kyuhyun told this best friend.  “He’s sad…and sometimes when people get sad, they get angry, and then they say all kinds of stuff they don’t mean.”

 

“I could feel his hatred for me.”

 

Kyuhyun winced, quickly covered his reaction and insisted, “He doesn’t hate you…he hates the situation, he might be confused, but he doesn’t hate you.  I don’t think he could hate you.  When you were a baby, he loved you so much.  Everyone knew that…he never let you out of his sight.  When he broke the bond with you…it was bad, people all over the ship felt sad.  We could feel your pain…and we are not empaths, so imagine what Jaejoong must have felt?”

 

“This is not making me feel less unsettled,” Changmin stated, looking up at the ceiling.

 

Kyuhyun smiled as a thought occurred to him. “What about pumpkin pie?”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“Ryeowook had his grandmother’s recipes for pies programmed into the sickbay food replicators for when he has bad days.  He also saw Jaejoong today, so…he had a bad day too.  When I talked to him earlier, he was eating pumpkin pie…and it is good.  Really good.”

 

“I am not opposed to eating really good pie,” Changmin stated as he stood up.  “I was gone for two years…I have not eaten nearly enough to make up for those two missing years.”

 

Kyuhyun stood, headed for the door, and Changmin followed him.  “I thought you said it was like you were not gone at all.”

 

“That does not negate the fact that I was gone for two years.”

 

“Have you considered going back to Earth?”  Kyuhyun asked as they headed toward sickbay.  “We will soon arrive at the Guardian of Time.”

 

“I do find it remarkable that the Guardian of Time allows us passage back to our galaxy,” Changmin stated in awe.  “The Guardian of Times are most remarkable structures.”

 

“They are,” Kyuhyun agreed.  “If you went back to Earth you could see Sulli.”

 

“Why would I wish to see Sulli?”

 

Kyuhyun turned to look oddly at the other man and reminded him, “Sulli was your friend.”

 

“Yes,” Changmin agreed.  “I still believe her to be my friend, but I have no desire to see her.”

 

“You don’t miss her?”

 

“For me I just saw her a few days ago.”

 

The commander side-eyed his friend.  “Yet, you want to make up for two years’ worth of food you missed.”

 

Changmin refused to take the bait by stating, “I would not go back to Earth without Yunho.”

 

“Well, he isn’t going back this trip,” Kyuhyun pointed out as they walked down the corridor.  “The crew takes turns on who gets to go back…because we can’t exactly replace the missing crew.”

 

“I would not go back unless Yunho went,” Changmin stated, but added, “Although, my grandmother would be a welcomed sight.  I have missed her…and her cooking.”

 

Kyuhyun grinned and declared, “Some things never change.”

 

“True,” Changmin agreed.  “You must be relieved that you have resumed having coitus with Ryeowook.”

 

“Yes, indeed,” Kyuhyun quickly replied with a genuine smile.  “It makes me very happy…abstinence is not my thing.”

 

As they approached their destination, Changmin stated solemnly, “I still do not see the appeal in having coitus.”

 

Kyuhyun grinned as they entered Sickbay.  “Like I said some things don’t change, but you never know.  Maybe someday you will— Woah!”  The commander was almost knocked over when a blond blur raced past him toward Changmin.

 

“Prince Changmin!”  The blue-eyed, blond Joong cried out loudly from where he knelt at Changmin’s feet.  “I fear that I have proven to be unworthy of your hospitality.  The Custos Humane Vitae is a great burden, and I beg that you remove it from me.”

 

Changmin stared down at the Joong, who was wearing a gray gown, and then looked up at the three doctors and young Ensign Jungkook, who were all shaking their head and mouthing ‘no’ at him.  “Jimin, you must not treat me with such reverence,” Changmin stated as he reached down and pulled the young Joong to his feet.

 

“But you are a prince!”  Jimin declared with tears glossing over his eyes.  “And the grandson of the King of Joong!”

 

“I do not recognize myself as a prince, and I have never met the King of Joong,” Changmin told the hysterical Joong.  “You must think of me as you would any other member of the crew.”

 

Jimin eyed Changmin unconvinced for only a moment before flinging his arms around Changmin’s waist and hugging him tightly. “Prince Changmin please remove the Custos Humanae Vitae from me.”

 

Kyuhyun snorted at the look of panic on Changmin’s face as the young Joong embraced him tightly, pressing his face up against the considerable taller man’s chest.

 

Changmin, who was highly intelligent and knew when a battle was lost, asked, “And what will you do Jimin if I remove the Custos Humanae Vitae from around your neck?”

 

A great big smile broke out on Jimin’s face as he looked up at Changmin and answered honestly, “I will bond with my Kookie!”

 

“Your Kookie?”  A baffled Changmin asked.

 

Ensign Jungkook held up his arm haplessly and whimpered, “I’m Kookie…please don’t remove it, Sir.”

 

Jimin did not release Changmin but he turned his head to smile affectionately at the young ensign and told him, “Don’t be that way, Kookie.  You will love me so much!!!  I can even have pretty hybrid babies!  They will be handsome like Prince Changmin!”

 

Ensign Jungkook looked like he might pass out, causing Dr. Jin to go to his younger brother while grumbling something that sounded a lot like, _“Fuck Namjoon and his guilty conscience”_ under his breath.

 

“So, Jimin why are you clinging to Changmin if you want to bond with Ensign Jungkook?” Woohyun asked the Joong, while winking deviously at the science officer.

 

“It’s because he buzzes,” Jimin explained not loosening his grip on the lieutenant. 

 

Changmin looked even more baffled.  “I buzz?”

 

“Yes,” Jimin verified as he pressed his face into Changmin’s chest.  “I can’t feel anybody else…and it is so scary, but I can feel Prince Changmin buzz.  It’s a nice warm buzz.”

 

“That is illogical,” Changmin declared.  “The necklace prevents you from feeling any form of emotions or thoughts.”

 

“You buzz,” Jimin insisted, burying his face in Changmin’s chest.  “I can’t tell what you are thinking…but I can feel you.”

 

“Perhaps, that is because you are clinging to me like a deranged koala bear!”  Changmin stated, unable to hide his irritation.

 

Jimin was unbothered by Changmin’s irritation and repeated, “You buzz.”

 

Changmin turned his head to glare at his best friend who was greatly amused.  “I apparently buzz.”

 

“That’s great,” Commander Cho replied, while grinning back at him.  “Usually you are just a buzzkill.”

 

 

                                                                 ***********************

 

 

“Enter,” Yunho called out from the Captain’s Ready room.

 

Lieutenant Kim entered the captain’s private office and walked to the front of the captain’s desk and stood.

 

“Are the preparations made?”  Yunho asked of his executive officer.

 

“Yes,” Lieutenant Kim replied.  “Seventy-six members of the crew will be making the trip back to the Earth if the Guardian of Time permits it.”

 

“This Guardian has proven to be very helpful…so hopefully it’s hospitality will continue.”

 

“Hopefully, Sir,” Lieutenant Kim responded.  “When should the transfers begin?”

 

Yunho turned his head and stared out the window of his ready room that showed the endlessness of space.  “I wish to speak to Lieutenant Jung before we start transferring people back to Earth.  Earlier he was adamant he did not want to return…but things may have changed since then.”

 

“As you wish, Sir.”

 

“You and Lieutenant Sooyoung are continuing to follow my orders regarding Jaejoong?”

 

“Of course, Sir.”

 

“Thank you,” Yunho told the executive officer.  “I know the crew is eager to return to Earth and visit their loved ones.  I will deal with the matter of Lieutenant Jung swiftly.”

 

“I will await your orders then,” Lieutenant Kim stated and started back toward the door when it beeped making them aware of another requesting entry.

 

“Enter,” Yunho called out and then turned to Lieutenant Kim and ordered, “You are dismissed.”

 

Commander Cho entered the Ready Room as Lieutenant Kim exited.  Upon seeing his second in command Yunho got up and walked over to the window and gazed out of it.

 

“Captain, I know I have disappointed you,” Commander Cho told the captain, while looking at him apprehensively.  “We haven’t had a chance to talk privately and I wanted to apologize.”

 

“Starfleet will say you did nothing wrong,” Yunho told him, while not turning around to face the other man.  “They will say you acted appropriately.”

 

“But you and I will know differently.”

 

“Yes,” Yunho admitted.  “Fear is perhaps the most dangerous of emotions.  Fear is absolutely necessary in order to survive, for those without fear are not brave…they are foolish or insane.  You cannot be brave if you are not fearful.  Fear becomes dangerous when the fear for what might happen to one personally outweighs what is right.  Sometimes Starfleet…lets it’s fear of what the future might hold…the consequences of its officer’s actions override their decency…they become so consumed with the larger picture that they sacrifice innocents in their grand efforts to do what they deem best.”

 

Commander Cho closed his eyes and said weakly, “And I should know this…I learned this lesson long ago as a child.”

 

Yunho turned and stared at the commander compassionately.  “You did.”

 

“Captain…I hope to never disappoint you again,” Kyuhyun said with glassy eyes.  “I will strive to be an officer worthy of you.”

 

“I know you will,” Yunho told him as he turned back around and gazed out the window into space.  “I worry for Changmin…he said he did not wish to return to Earth, but after what Jaejoong said to him…I want to grab him and take him back to the safety of Earth…far away from Jaejoong.”

 

“He does not want to go,” Commander Cho stated as his eyes cleared.  “Although, currently he would rather be anywhere else but on this ship.”

 

“Pardon?” Yunho asked confused by his second in command’s statement.

 

Commander Cho’s heaviness lifted, and a smile appeared on his face.  “The Joong has awakened…and to quote Changmin, it’s like a deranged Koala Bear.”

 

Yunho turned around intrigued.  “Why would he say that?”

 

“Jimin insists that Changmin…buzzes.”

 

“Buzzes?”

 

“The Joong is wearing the necklace but he insists that he can still feel Changmin buzzing…no thoughts or emotions…just buzzing,” Commander Cho explained.  “The buzzing must remind him of his telepathy and empathy…so he is very clingy with Changmin.”

 

Yunho smiled, but pointed out, “The necklace should block everything.”

 

“It blocks everything but Changmin’s…buzzing.  The Joong wants the necklace off badly,” Commander Cho explained.  “Before we arrived Jimin was very upset and insisted that it be removed.”

 

“Of course,” Yunho stated.  “If Jaejoong’s reaction was anything to go by…he would be most distressed.”

 

“He’s something,” Commander Cho said with a chuckle.  “He is clinging to a very affronted Changmin, who is upset that anyone has so little regard for his personal space, while begging everyone in the room to please remove the necklace so he can bond with Ensign Jungkook—he is very enamored with our helmsman.”

 

A genuine smile appeared on Yunho’s face.  “I may have to go witness this with my own eyes.”

 

Commander Cho smiled back at the captain and told him, “It’s my new happy place.”

 

“This Jimin might just be—” 

 

“Sir,” Lieutenant Sooyoung voice broke out over the combadge interrupting the captain. “Jaejoong has just beamed down to the Guardian of Time.”

 

 

                                                       ************************

 

 

Yunho materialized on the planet that had haunted the dreams of the two people he loved the most for many years.

 

The planet of sparkly moons, the planet where Changmin was sent back in time to him, and the planet where Jaejoong had been broken.

 

The Guardian of Time was already activated when he arrived and Jaejoong stood facing it.   A dread greater than any he had ever known filled him with sadness. 

 

“Why does it feel as if you are already gone?”

 

Jaejoong did not turn around.  “Because I am…I was the moment you did not join me in the light.”

 

Yunho closed his eyes.  “That is not true.”

 

“You do not wish it to be true, but it is the truth.”

 

“Our love is greater than the two of us, and it is also greater than our love for him…our love is timeless, and if you just give us a chance, we can recover from this.”

 

Jaejoong turned around and eyed Yunho with emotionless eyes.  “You are already recovered…it is I that is damaged beyond repair.”

 

“I don’t believe that.”

 

“Your belief or disbelief is not required…it is simply the truth.”

 

Yunho moved closer.  “I want to help you…I know I can help you…if you will just let me.”

 

“You want to help the soulless?”

 

“I didn’t mean that.”

 

“But you did…I saw it in your eyes.”

 

“You just saw disappointment…” Yunho paused before adding.  “I can’t help feeling protective of him.  You hurt him…hurt him badly, but that doesn’t negate the love I have for you.”

 

Jaejoong’s expression remained devoid of love or warmth as he stated, “I am going back to Joong.  You and your son will not be allowed to follow me.  I will live out my miserable days on Joong.   You will not feel the side effects of our distance, since I am on Joong.”

 

“I will go with you!”

 

“No, you will not,” Jaejoong stated flatly.  “You will continue to command your ship…and to experience your adventures.  You will have your son, your friends, and a crew that adores you.  You will live out your life as a human and someday when it is your day to die…you will die as humans die.  I will not intervene to save you.”

 

Yunho struggled to remain patient, “Jaejoong, I love you…and I will always love you…separation is not the answer…it can’t be the answer.”

 

Jaejoong turned to face away from Yunho and told him with his voice cracking, “If I stay…you will only grow to hate me.”

 

“Never!”

 

“I will hurt you every day and I will hurt those you love.  You said it yourself…I enjoy hurting others.”

 

“It’s because you are hurting, but it will get better I promise!”

 

“I will NEVER stop hurting, Yunho!  It will NEVER get better, Yunho!” Jaejoong cried out.  “Don’t you understand!  I cannot survive this broken bond!  I am miserable, and I want to make others as miserable as I am.  I am not good like you!  I never was!”

 

Yunho walked closer, grabbed Jaejoong, and pulled him into his arms. “That isn’t true!  You only think that now because you are in so much pain!   If you must hurt someone to feel better, then hurt me!  I can take it!”

 

Jaejoong’s body trembled in the other man’s embrace.  “You could…I think sometimes you can handle anything…but it wouldn’t just be you.  I want him to be as destroyed…as destroyed as the bond I once had with him is, and you would never allow that.  You would only end up hating me as much as I hate myself.”

 

“No, no, no…”  Yunho soothed as he cupped Jaejoong’s face with his hands.  “I will send him back to Earth.  He can go see my mother and Sulli.  When you are stronger, he can come back…I know you.  I know you are so much stronger than you think you are.”

 

Jaejoong stared at Yunho and stated dispassionately, “No, I have already decided.  I am returning to Joong.”

 

Yunho dropped his hand and his gaze became as hard as steal.  “Do you think I won’t come after you!  Do you honestly think that Changmin and I will not figure out a way to find you!  Because we will, Jaejoong!  We will find you!  I am not going to let you leave me!  I am not going to let you sacrifice our love!  I will find you even if takes me forever!”

 

“I know you would,” Jaejoong whispered as he reached up and placed both his hands on the sides of Yunho’s head, causing the starship captain to cry out and drop to his knees.  “I know you would never allow me to sacrifice our love…I know you would never stop searching for me.”

 

Yunho’s mind was filled with a terrible, sharp, agonizing pain that felt like it had split his head apart and left his mind exposed.

 

Tears ran down Jaejoong’s face as he telepathically instructed Yunho, _“You will remember every moment of the time we have spent together…except for this one moment.  You will remember the love, the joy, and the ecstasy that we shared…but our love will be diminished.  The loss of our love will not resonate with you; it will not cripple you.  You will not be broken by my departure from your life.  You will feel justified anger towards me for leaving you, but your anger will fade away in time…along with your love for me…each passing day you will love me a little bit less.  You will not search for me and you will not ask others to search for me, and sometimes you will wonder if we were ever bonded at all.”_

 

He removed his shaky hands from Yunho’s head and broke the connection.  He watched as Yunho lost consciousness and fell to the ground.

 

Jaejoong was wracked with sobs as he knelt and placed his hand on Yunho’s head again and told the unconscious man, “This is the last time I will ever heal you.  I don’t ever want to hurt you again my love.  I am so sorry that I was not stronger…that I couldn’t go on with you in this life…to write more chapters of our love story.”

 

Once Yunho was healed Jaejoong stood up and stepped away from the man he had loved completely and absolutely from the very first day they met.  He waited and watched as a dazed Yunho stood up and then suddenly the captain’s eyes grew sharp as the memory of falling was forgotten.

 

Yunho looked at Jaejoong full of righteous anger and declared, “Do you remember what the Guardian of Time told us the first time we encountered it?”

 

“Yunho…don’t,” Jaejoong told him softly.

 

“It told me I would live many lives and that I would know devastating disappointment, magnificent triumphs, and tedious mediocrity…it said I would encounter you in every life…and sometimes I would spend my life with you and sometimes our encounters would only last a moment,” Yunho told him bitterly.  “I was so foolish…because while I was standing there listening to the Guardian of Time…I thought we had a lifetime together ahead of us, little did I know it was just a fleeting moment in this life.”

 

Jaejoong turned around and quickly walked toward the Guardian of Time.  “I have to go Yunho…I am sorry for everything…for not being what you needed me to be.”

 

“Be sorry that you are a coward, Jaejoong!  Be sorry that you couldn’t stay and fight for our love…for our family!  Be sorry that you gave up so easily on our so-called timeless love!  Be sorry that you would rather die than find the strength to live!”  Yunho cried out in frustration. 

 

Jaejoong stopped before entering the Guardian of Time and whispered, “I’ll see you in another life.”

 

And then he was gone…

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos are love...and they feed my greedy personality.


End file.
